MONTREAT, N.C. (AP) - A memorial service today for Ruth Graham at a church near the Grahams' North Carolina mountain home.
Her husband, evangelist Billy Graham, told those gathered that he wished they could look in the casket because she is "so beautiful." He said he did that for a long time last night as he prayed.
Reverend Graham says she surely "had a great reception in heaven."
Ruth Graham died Thursday at age 87, following a lengthy illness that left her bedridden for months. She fell into a coma on Wednesday following a recent bout with pneumonia. A spokesman said she died peacefully with her husband and all 5 of her children at her bedside.
Graham's simple plywood casket was chosen after son Franklin noticed inmates at the Louisiana State Penitentiary building the caskets for themselves and others who could not afford to purchase regular coffins.
