Billy Graham to lie in honor at U.S. Capitol before burial

Evangelist Billy Graham, who died Wednesday at age 99, will lie in honor in the U.S. Capital Rotunda next week before he is buried beside his wife, Ruth, in Charlotte, N.C. Graham’s viewing in Washington, an honor usually reserved for political figures, highlights the significance of his influence on American life during six decades of public ministry. On Saturday, Graham’s body will be taken from Asheville, N.C., to Charlotte in a procession expected to take about 3½ hours. He will lie in repose at the Billy Graham Museum and Library in Charlotte on Monday and Tuesday before being taken to Washington. The Graham family will hold a private funeral on March 2. A family spokesman said Graham’s children plan to extend invitations to the funeral to President Donald Trump and past presidents, with whom the evangelist forged personal relationships. In an interview with NBC News on Thursday, Graham’s oldest son, Franklin, said the family asked their patriarch what he wanted on his tombstone, so they would not argue amongst themselves when the time came. After thinking about it, Graham gave them one word: “Preacher.”