CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Ruth Bell Graham, a humble missionary’s daughter who became the wife of the world’s foremost evangelist yet shined outside his shadow in her own right, died Thursday at home in Montreat in the North Carolina mountains.

Graham was 87 when she died after several years of declining health spent mostly at the home she shared with her husband, evangelist Billy Graham.

Early plans called for a public memorial service in Montreat, then a private burial in Charlotte attended by family only.

“Ruth was my life partner, and we were called by God as a team,” Graham said in a statement Thursday. “No one else could have borne the load that she carried. She was a vital and integral part of our ministry, and my work through the years would have been impossible without her encouragement and support.

“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. 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.”

Graham announced this week that he and Ruth had decided to be buried side by side on the grounds of the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte.

She is survived by her husband, five children and 19 grandchildren. Describing her as a loyal wife, mother and grandmother doesn’t embrace the essence of a creative, courageous woman.

She wrote poetry, evangelized for Christ to millions worldwide over the years and raised five children while Billy Graham was off preaching to the world. She was a constant counsel in his life, steering him away from partisan politics and balancing his natural-born seriousness with humor.

And in enduring with quiet grace the pain brought on by several hip-replacement procedures and other ailments late in life, Ruth Graham inspired her family as she inspired others.

“My father would not have been what he is today if it wasn’t for my mother,” said son Franklin, who now heads the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in Charlotte. “She stood strong for what was biblically correct and accurate. She would help my father prepare his messages, listening with an attentive ear, and if she saw something that wasn’t right or heard something that she felt wasn’t as strong as it could be, she was a voice to strengthen this or eliminate that. Every person needs that kind of input in their life and she was that to my father.”

Ill health prevented her from attending the dedication of the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte two weeks ago, but at the event she was hailed for her spirit and courage. The library, which tells the story of how Charlotte’s most famous son became a world-famous evangelist, includes an exhibit on her.

“More than me,” said her husband of 63 years, “she deserves to be here today.”

Former President George Bush, a longtime family friend, became emotional when he came to her name in the final words of his speech. “God bless Billy and Ruth Graham,” said Bush, his voice catching.

Billy Graham, 88, has been in declining health himself. He has symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and is nearly deaf.

Ruth Graham’s ill health and preference for privacy kept her out of the public eye for years.

At one of her last public appearances – a 2000 benefit dinner in Asheville, N.C., marking her 80th birthday – best-selling mystery writer and family friend Patricia Cornwell put her life into perspective.

“Her legacy is that she profoundly touched people’s lives,” said Cornwell, who befriended the Grahams as a child in Montreat and later wrote a biography of Ruth Graham.

“We live in a world where, if you’re not touching lots and lots of people, you’re not important. If everybody would do what Ruth has done, this would be a better place. She cared about her neighbor.”

Ruth Graham put on a fancy gown and agreed to be fussed over by 300 loved ones and admirers that night in the Grand Ballroom of the Grove Park Inn for this reason: The $250-a-plate, black-tie dinner raised more than $2 million for the Ruth and Billy Graham Children’s Health Center in Asheville.