“He struggles a little bit, I think, with a sense of purpose,” Lotz said.

On a positive note, she does add that he’s clear-minded, quick to pray about current events and deeply misses his late wife, Ruth Bell Graham who died in 2007.

“I am so grateful to the Lord that He gave me Ruth, and especially for these last few years we’ve had in the mountains together,” Billy Graham said in a statement released at her death. “We’ve rekindled the romance of our youth, and my love for her continued to grow deeper every day. I will miss her terribly, and look forward even more to the day I can join her in Heaven.”

As a continuing testament to their love, Ruth is never far from Billy’s mind.

An e-mail interview asked what life is like without Ruth, and Billy Graham responded: “Not a day, or even an hour, goes by that I don’t think about her and miss her. I rejoice that all the suffering she endured those last years is over, and that she’s safely in Heaven now with the Lord she loved and served almost her whole life. But I miss her very much, and I look forward to the time when we will be reunited.”

At Graham’s 90th birthday party his oldest daughter, Gigi Graham, commented: “Even today, he had her picture right in front of him and said, ‘So often, I think she’s going to walk out of that picture. I miss her so much,.’ I said, ‘I know, Daddy.’”

Even Atlanta pastor Jeff Henderson noted Graham’s longing for his wife when he blogged about his recent visit to the evangelist: “At one point, Dr. Graham pointed to a picture of his late wife, Ruth, and said, ‘I miss her greatly.’”

Even separated by death, Billy and Ruth Graham continue to model a deep love and a lasting marriage. Less than a year before Ruth’s death, Billy commented on their still-growing love:

“At night we have time together; we pray together and read the Bible together every night. It’s a wonderful period of life for both of us. We’ve never had a love like we have now—we feel each other’s hearts.” (Newsweek, Aug. 14, 2006)

Serving a life sentence at Angola State Penitentiary for second degree murder, Richard Liggett handcrafted simple plywood coffins for his fellow prisoners. The simplicity of the coffins struck Billy Graham’s son, Franklin Graham, who saw the coffins on a tour of the prison and requested a pair be made for his parents. The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association supports a Bible college and chapel at the prison. Liggett became a Christian while at the prison and was honored to build the caskets for the Grahams.

They were among the last caskets he made. Richard Liggett died of cancer in March 2007 and was buried in one of his own caskets.

Despite controversy over the burial site, when Billy Graham dies he will be buried next to his wife at the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte.