Ruth Bell Graham went to be with Jesus June 14, 2007.

Billy Graham, her husband of nearly 64 years, and their five children were at her side. Although Mrs. Graham’s loved ones felt grief at being separated from their wife, mother, sister and friend, they celebrated her life and commitment to Jesus Christ.

Her namesake daughter, Ruth, explained what made her 87-year-old mother so remarkable: “Her happiness and fulfillment did not depend on her circumstances. She was a lovely, beautiful and wise woman because early in life she made Christ her home, her purpose, her center, her confidant and her vision.”

At the funeral service in Montreat, N.C., the Grahams’ longtime pastor, Richard White, said, “If you’re here today and say, ‘Ruth Graham was a great woman,’ you’ve missed the point of her life. The reason Ruth Graham was a great woman is because she had a great Savior and a great love for Jesus Christ.” The article “A Life Well Lived” gives a glimpse of how this great love for Jesus made Ruth Bell Graham’s life extraordinary.