Evangelist Billy Graham, left, and his wife, Ruth, sit for an interview in their Montreat, N.C., mountaintop home in this Aug. 11, 2003, file photo. Ruth Graham fell into a coma Wednesday and appeared to be close to death, a family spokesman said.

Charlotte, N.C. ? With his wife Ruth near death, evangelist Billy Graham announced Wednesday that the couple have decided to be buried on the grounds of the recently dedicated Billy Graham Library in Charlotte.

Bedridden for the last six months, Ruth Graham contracted pneumonia two weeks ago and slipped into a coma Wednesday morning. Four of her five children were at her bedside Wednesday, and Ned, the youngest, was traveling to the family’s Montreat, N.C., home. She turned 87 Sunday.

In a statement, Graham said:

“Earlier this spring, after much prayer and discussion, Ruth and I made the decision to be buried beside each other at the Billy Graham Library in my hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina.

“We have held this decision privately and only decided to announce it now that she is close to going home to heaven.”

In his statement, Graham called wife Ruth “my soul mate and best friend, and I cannot imagine living a single day without her by my side. I am more in love with her today than when we first met over 65 years ago as students at Wheaton College.”

“Ruth and I appreciate, more than we can express, the prayers and letters of encouragement we have received from people across the country and around the world. Our entire family has been home in recent days and it has meant so much to have them at our side during this time. We love each one of them dearly and thank God for them.”

Graham spokesman Larry Ross told the Charlotte Observer that Ruth Graham was being treated at her Montreat home, “in line with her wishes.”

But Ross also acknowledged that Ruth Graham’s family is preparing for her death.

“She appears to be entering the final stages of her life,” Ross said.