- Ruth Graham
Infobox Celebrity
name = Ruth Bell Graham
imagesize = 200px
caption =
birth name = Ruth McCue Bell
birth_date = Birth date|1920|6|10
birth_place =Qingjiang , Kiangsu,China
death_date = Death date and age|2007|6|14|1920|6|10
death_place =Montreat, North Carolina , USA
occupation = Philanthropist, Poet, Author, Painter
salary =
networth =
spouse = Billy Graham
children = Franklin, Nelson, Virginia, Anne and Ruth
website =
footnotes =Ruth Bell Graham (
June 10 1920 –June 14 2007 ), wife of evangelist Billy Graham, was born at Qingjiang, Kiangsu, China as Ruth McCue Bell, the second of five children. Her parents, Dr. and Mrs.L. Nelson Bell , were medical missionaries at thePresbyterian Hospital 300 miles north ofShanghai . Her maternal grandfather was Jewish. At the age of 13 she was enrolled in high school inPyongyang , Korea, where she studied for three years. Ruth completed her high school education atMontreat, North Carolina , while her parents were there on furlough. She graduated fromWheaton College (Illinois) inWheaton, Illinois .The Grahams met at Wheaton College in
Wheaton, Illinois and were married in the summer of 1943, shortly after their graduation. Ruth became a minister's wife for a brief period inWestern Springs, Illinois . They lived out the rest of her life in Montreat, North Carolina. The Grahams have five children: Virginia (Gigi), Anne, Ruth, Franklin and Nelson Edman (Ned), nineteen grandchildren, and numerous great grandchildren.Mrs. Graham wrote “Our Christmas Story,” “Sitting by My Laughing Fire,” “It's My Turn,” “The Legacy of a Pack Rat,” “Prodigals and Those Who Love Them,” “Clouds Are the Dust of His Feet,” “One Wintry Night,” “Coffee and Conversation with Ruth Bell Graham and Gigi Graham Tchividjian,” “Collected Poems,” “Mothers Together,” and “Prayers From A Mother’s Heart.” Mrs. Graham’s most recent books published in 2001 are, “Never Let It End: Poems of a Lifelong Love“ published by Baker Books, “Footprints of a Pilgrim: The Life and Loves of Ruth Bell Graham,” published by Word Publishing and “A Quiet Knowing,” published by W Publishing Group.
Early life
Ruth Graham was born at
Qingjiang , Kiangsu,China , as Ruth McCue Bell. Her parents, Dr.L. Nelson Bell and Virginia McCue Bell, were American medical missionaries at the Presbyterian Hospital 300 miles north ofShanghai . [http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-graham15jun15,0,56499.story?page=1&coll=la-home-center "Los Angeles" "Ruth Graham, 87; had active role as wife of evangelist" June 15, 2007] ] She grew up in China in a deeply religious household. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/15/AR2007061500196.html AP via "Washington Post "Billy Graham's Wife Ruth Dies at 87" June 15, 2007] ] Some of her early life in China is depicted in the biography of her father, a general surgeon, in "A Foreign Devil in China" (by John Charles Pollock, ISBN-10 0890661413).Bell studied for three years at a high school in
Pyongyang , now inNorth Korea , before graduating from a school inMontreat, North Carolina , while her parents were onfurlough .Married life
Ruth returned to the U.S. at the age of 17 in the fall of 1937, and enrolled at Wheaton College, outside
Chicago ,Illinois , where she met Graham. They married onAugust 13 ,1943 . In 1945, after a brief stint as a suburban pastor, her husband became an evangelist forYouth for Christ . The Grahams moved toMontreat near her parents where the Grahams continued to live for the rest of their married life. Despite Billy Graham being one of the world's most famousBaptist s, his wife remained aPresbyterian and often taughtSunday School .Between 1945 and 1958, Mrs. Graham gave birth to five children, whom she raised — sometimes single-handedly — while her husband was away on extended national and international evangelistic crusades. The three daughters and two sons who survive her are all actively involved in ministry, including eldest son Franklin, who heads the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) founded by his father.
Ministry
In 1959, Mrs. Graham published her first book, "Our Christmas Story", an illustrated volume for children. She went on to write or co-write 13 other books, many of them works of poetry she wrote as an emotional release while her husband was so often on the road through the years.
Mrs. Graham’s significant role in Billy Graham's ministry was recognized in 1996, when they were jointly awarded the
Congressional Gold Medal in a special ceremony in theU.S. Capitol Rotunda inWashington, D.C. .Ruth Graham was always a vital part of Billy Graham’s evangelistic career, and he turned to her for advice and input about many ministry decisions. One of the early uses of media by the BGEA was the “Hour of Decision” radio program begun in 1950, which she named. After her upbringing in China and high school experience in Korea, she continued to have compassion for the people of Asia. She encouraged her husband to visit and later accompanied him during his historic visits to the
People's Republic of China .Facts|date=June 2007Philanthropy
In 1966, she founded the "Ruth and Billy Graham Children's Health Center" in
Asheville, North Carolina , with which she was actively involved until her death.Declining health and death
Ruth Graham had been in frail health since suffering spinal
meningitis in 1995. This was exacerbated by a degenerativeosteoarthritis of the back and neck that began with a fall while testing a swing she made for her grandchildren in 1974 that resulted in chronic back pain for many years. During the final months of her life, Graham was bedridden and had contractedpneumonia . [ [http://marriage.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=marriage&cdn=people&tm=204&f=20&tt=11&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http%3A//www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi%3Ff%3D/n/a/2007/06/14/national/a145002D40/ DTL AP via "San Francisco Chronicle" "Billy Graham's Wife Ruth Dies" 14 June 2007] ]
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