Not so --- Franklin bought his parents $215 plywood coffins made with prison labor...
Louisiana prisoner built Ruth's and Billy Graham's coffins shortly before he died
Sunday, June 17, 2007 | 6:57 p.m. CDT; updated 3:52 p.m. CDT, Monday, July 14, 2008
http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2007/06/17/louisiana-prisoner-built-ruths-and-billy-grahams-c/
BY BECKY BOHRER ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
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. The price: $215 each.
(more at URL)
Not that Billy Graham couldn't afford to pay retail for caskets produced by casket manufacturers - according to the 2009 IRS Form 990 "Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax filed by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, the elder Graham still puts in a 40 hour work week during 2009 and received $159,545 in compensation plus an additional $126,398 in other compensation from BGEA and related organizations.
http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments//2009/410/692/2009-410692230-0660020e-9.pdf