‘End of an era’: Jean Ford, last of Billy Graham’s siblings, dies at 91

Jean Ford — a quiet and humble presence tied to America’s most famous religious name — died Thursday. She was 91 years old.

Ford had always trailed her big brother, Rev. Billy Graham, by 14 years. On Thursday, she joined him six years after his 2018 death. He was 99.

“For those who knew her, it’s almost like the end of an era, the last of the Graham children to leave us,” said Ken Garfield, the former religion editor for The Charlotte Observer.

Garfield, who spent years covering the Graham family, remembers Ford as many others do: as a graceful, faithful sounding board and second-hand to the far-reaching ministries led by her brother and by her husband, Leighton Ford.

They had the spotlight, he said, but she, too, impacted millions of people.

Jean Ford’s legacy

To Billy Graham, Ford was the quiet younger sister.

To Leighton Ford, an evangelist and religious leader in his own right, he was “Jeanie” — as he’d often call her in his many columns published in the Observer.

He wrote about concepts he’d recently stumbled across, routinely tying them back to his life with Ford.

Two chairs in any home signaled a conversation for friendship, he read.

“My ‘two chairs’ are at our breakfast table where Jeanie and I talk about the day to come, the joys and concerns we have for friends and family,” he wrote.

In a 2015 reflection on Mother’s Day, he thought about how to best recognize moms, including Syrian mothers protecting refugees, those in Nepal following a devastating earthquake — and those in his own home.

“Many of us will have good reasons to be thankful for mothers, those past, those present,” he wrote. “I certainly have for my Jeanie. She was both mother and father to our three children across the many times when I was away in ministry.”

He wrote, also, about her determination to learn about those around her.

In an anecdote about the book and movie “Unbroken” he recalled the tough read, which details the life of Olympic runner and World War II hero Louis Zamperini.

“My wife, Jeanie, could hardly bear to read the scenes of torture,” he wrote. “ ’But,’ she said, ‘if he could survive it I can read about it.’”

The two were a beloved couple for about 70 years as they navigated many Charlotte circles and grew Leighton Ford Ministries.

For about 30 years, Leighton Ford, now 92, was an associate at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. He was teed up to succeed Graham’s worldwide fame, but instead started his own mentorship ministry.

Jean Ford had also become active at Myers Park Presbyterian Church, Garfield said, before being hospitalized months ago. She suffered from some level of illness her entire life, he said.

Polio as a child led to a lifetime of medical challenges. Later in life, she struggled with her hearing and other issues.

“She remained firm in her faith and cheerful in spirit,” he said.

She died from a stroke, Observer news partner WSOC reported. Her family was by her side.

They were in Charlotte — the city Jean has orbited since her and Billy’s early days growing up on a dairy farm.

Following his death in 2018, Billy returned home from his mountaintop home in Montreat, N.C.

Billy Graham’s funeral had more than 2,000 invitees, a live stream, a bagpipe escort and 100 delegates from 50 countries. Information on services honoring Ford’s life have not yet been announced.

“Historians and everyday Christians, many who discovered their faith through Billy Graham, will remember him as modern Christianity’s most famous figure,” Garfield said. “They will remember Jean’s husband, Leighton Ford ... for his warmth and lifetime of mentoring young pastors. ... They will remember Jean, too, for the impact she had on both, and on the millions of of people whose lives she helped touch.”