Jean Graham Ford, Rev. Billy Graham's last living sibling, dies at 91

ASHEVILLE — The last living sibling of the famed evangelical preacher Billy Graham, his sister Jean Graham Ford, has died. She was 91.

Ford and her husband Leighton Ford were encouragers of Graham throughout his entire ministry, Graham's son and Ford's nephew the Rev. Franklin Graham said in a social media post Feb. 29, with Graham seeking her advice and counsel on many issues. Billy Graham lived most of his life in Western North Carolina, in the small town of Montreat east of Asheville.

Graham died in his sleep the morning of Feb. 21 at his home in Montreat. He was 99 and in his lifetime had become perhaps the most well-known evangelist in the world. The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association estimates that he preached to a total of 215 million people through his crusades and other events.

Ford and her future husband met at Wheaton College with Leighton Ford going on to be an evangelist who was "thankful for the support and loyalty of his faithful and loving wife," Franklin Graham said.

Billy Graham grew up on a dairy farm, the oldest of the four children to Frank and Morrow Graham. Jean was the youngest child. She was stricken with polio at age 11 that paralyzed her throat.

"Even at that time in her young life, and faced with the possibility of death as a child, she often said that it would not have bothered her [to die] so much because she knew she was going to heaven. She traced her faith back to her childhood, commenting that Jesus 'was part of our family,'" Franklin Graham said in the post.

The Fords' oldest son, Sandy, died of a rare heart disease at the young age of 21, Franklin Graham said.

"We are thankful for her life that impacted so many when she would share her testimony, saying, 'Sometimes it's so difficult to trust our lives to the Lord Jesus Christ, and yet to me, there's no option. That happened to be ingrained in me, my trust in what He promises; my trust in who I know Him to be,'" Graham said.

Billy Graham's wife Ruth died in 2007 at the age of 87, not long after the opening of the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte.

Their five children — Virginia "Gigi" Graham, Anne Graham Lotz, Ruth Bell Graham, Franklin Graham and Nelson Edman "Ned" Graham — all have had involvement in Christian service, according to Samaritan's Purse, the aid organization for which Franklin is president.

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Joel Burgess has lived in WNC for more than 20 years, covering politics, government and other news. He's written award-winning stories on topics ranging from gerrymandering to police use of force. Got a tip? Contact Burgess at jburgess@citizentimes.com, 828-713-1095 or on Twitter @AVLreporter. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Billy Graham's last living sibling Jean Graham Ford dies at 91