BUNCOMBE COUNTY, N.C. -- A gloomy morning turned into a beautiful afternoon in the North Carolina mountains.
The Asheville weather paralleled the emotions Carolinians saw earlier Saturday when Reverend Billy Graham was carried in a casket to what many called “his final crusade.”
“It has been bittersweet. Obviously, we are mourning the loss of Dr. Graham but at the same time we are rejoicing because we know exactly where he’s at,” Eric Wilkes, Director of Operations at the Billy Graham training center at The Cove.
Only close family, friends and some employees from The Cove were at the private prayer service and the start of the procession.
After wishing Rev. Graham a tearful goodbye, some of his nurses broke into a rendition of “This Little Light of Mine.”
They say the man at his most fragile state and their emotion offered the public a small window into a very personal world.
It was obvious they loved him.
“It’s hard to put into words how much Dr. Graham has meant to all of us,” Wilkes said.
While Rev. Graham’s time on Earth is over, Wilkes said the work left behind by "America's Pastor" is far from finished.
“All the glory and all the honor was always given to Jesus Christ and that was the focus today,” Wilkes said.