CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Evangelist Billy Graham's only remaining sibling, Jean Graham Ford, died Thursday morning, according to a Facebook post by Franklin Graham. She was 91 years old.
"We will miss her in this life but look forward to eternity together in the presence of our Savior, Jesus Christ the Lord," wrote Graham, who is Ford's nephew and president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan's Purse.
She is survived by her husband, Leighton Ford, as well as her son Kevin and daughter Debbie. Details about services have not been released at this time.
In 2018, Ford spoke at the funeral of Rev. Billy Graham. You can watch her tribute and the entire service here.
Graham shared more about Ford in his post, saying she was devoted to her faith in Jesus Christ, her family, and doing Christian outreach around the world. She encouraged her brother's ministry and also offered counsel, Graham's post read.
Ford met her eventual husband while attending Wheaton College, a private Christian college in Illinois. Graham cited Proverbs 31 in describing his aunt's faith and said his father shared memories with him of growing up on the family dairy farm.
Graham said Ford was stricken with polio when she was 11, which paralyzed her throat. He recounted that death didn't daunt her, a show of her faith at a young age.
Ford also faced the loss of her oldest son, Sandy, when he died at age 21 of a rare heart disease. Graham said in his post "Sandy's testimony for the Lord lives on to this day, and so does the testimony of Jean Graham Ford."
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