A member of the North Carolina Honor Guard stands beside the
casket of Ruth Graham before a memorial service for the wife of
evangelist Billy Graham in Montreat, N.C., Saturday June 16, 2007.
(Photo: AP / Chuck Burton)
Posted on 06/17/2007 9:57:10 AM PDT by Between the Lines
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Shortly before he died, convicted murderer Richard Liggett was asked to make two of the simple plywood coffins he meticulously crafted for fellow prisoners. Except the caskets would be for Billy and Ruth Graham.
"Humbled? He was honored, he was honored," said Burl Cain, warden of the Louisiana State Penitentiary. "He told me, of everything that ever happened in his life, the most profound thing was to build this coffin for Billy Graham and his family."
Graham's son Franklin made the request after seeing the coffins on a visit to the Angola prison and being struck by their simplicity, according to a statement from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
Ruth Graham was to be buried in one Sunday at a private ceremony at the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, N.C. She died Thursday at age 87 after a lengthy illness.
"I wish you could look in that casket because she's so beautiful," Billy Graham told mourners who gathered Saturday to remember his beloved wife. "She was a wonderful woman."
The coffins are made of birch plywood and lined with a foam mattress pad covered with fabric. Brass handles are on the sides, while a cross adorns the top.
Liggett, who was serving a life sentence for second-degree murder, led a team of prisoners who built the coffins for the Graham family. He had found God in prison, Cain said.
"You would never think he'd be a prisoner. He wasn't all marked up," Cain said. "He just did a terrible thing, one time in New Orleans."
The prison has a Bible college and chapel near death row funded largely by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan's Purse.
Cain said many of its 5,108 prisoners are Christian and were spending the weekend "preaching and praying and remembering the Graham family."
But Liggett won't be among them: He died of cancer in March, nearly 31 years into his sentence. He was buried in one of the last coffins he built, Cain said.
A member of the North Carolina Honor Guard stands beside the
casket of Ruth Graham before a memorial service for the wife of
evangelist Billy Graham in Montreat, N.C., Saturday June 16, 2007.
(Photo: AP / Chuck Burton)
What a great story.
Awesome honor - I think Jesus would approve.
A touching story - thanks for posting it.
And once again we see .. what the devil meant for destruction .. God turned it around for good.
God bless the dear man. I’m sure he was one of the first people to greet Mrs. Graham upon her arrival into heaven.
I think so too and to think someone of The Graham’s wealth could have any kind of casket they wanted yet they chose a simple wooden one. That’s the kind I would want too. Funerals cost a fortune these days. We may look into this ourselves. God bless the Graham’s and may Mrs. Graham rest in peace and may her grieving family find comfort in their faith.
31 years and no parole for a second degree murder sounds a bit long. Must be more to the story.
Incredible, moving story.
Except for that "wealthy" part. I read once and can't now find the source, that B.G. drew a salary from the ministry of $50k - $70k, somewhere in that neighborhood. That would put him in the middle class but not wealthy.
The simplicity of Ruth Graham’s coffin and who made it should be a lesson to us all. Having planned the funerals for both my parents I know how difficult it is to keep things as simple as they should be. Perhaps my brother-in-law had the best idea... when he died of cancer he donated his body to a university medical school for training doctors and for research.
His brothers' keeper. Sorry, couldn't resist!
Beautiful story of simplicity and humility.
Thanks for posting.
In Louisiana a life sentence is for life without any possibility of parole.
There's a moral lesson taught here! The money that people throw away on coffins could be put to a better purpose. I've been planning on building my own out of barn lumber one of these day's, but If I make it as long as this great lady, I have a lot of time to get it built.
Why?
Unless Nifong was the DA.
Most places a second degree murderer will serve about 10 to 15 years. I could see getting that much for a particularly bad first degree murder.
Billy Graham is not a wealthy man. Unlike some TV evangelists, he has always taken a modest salary from his organization. The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association is the most ethical and financially responsible organization in Christendom!
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