“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.”—2 Timothy 4:7-8
Franklin Graham and Aileen Coleman with a patient at Annoor Sanatorium in Mafraq, Jordan.
Aileen Coleman, age 94, peacefully entered the presence of the Lord whom she loved so much on July 9, 2025. Though our hearts grieve her passing, we rejoice that her deep longing to see her Savior face-to-face has finally been fulfilled and she is experiencing perfect joy in His presence. We ask you to join us in praying God’s comfort for the staff and volunteers of Annoor Sanatorium for Chest Diseases as well as the many, many people all over the world whose lives have been touched by Aileen. May the true Light of the Gospel of Jesus continue to shine brightly through her faithful, well-lived life.
Franklin Graham maintained decades of friendship with Aileen Coleman.
On July 9, Franklin Graham posted the following tribute to Aileen Coleman on Facebook:
This was quite a year of milestones for our dear friend Aileen Coleman. September would have marked her 95th birthday. And it was 70 years ago this month that she left her family and birthplace of Australia and launched into her 7 decades of faithful missionary service. But today was by far the biggest milestone—the culmination of all her years living for her Lord and Savior. Today Aileen Coleman stepped into the presence of Jesus Christ. This is something she had looked forward to with great anticipation. I had the privilege of being with her just a few weeks ago in Jordan and knew that would be the last time I would see her here on this earth, but I rejoice in knowing that I will see her again one day soon in Heaven.
I first met Aileen when I was just 19 years old. As a missionary nurse, she and Dr. Eleanor Soltau ran a tuberculosis hospital in the deserts of Jordan—which was unheard of for two women in that part of the world. She was gutsy, tough, and not afraid of anything—and she was still the same at 94! Aileen dedicated her life to serving the King of kings and Lord of lords, and didn’t let anything stand in her way. I will always be grateful to God for the impact and influence she had on my life and the lives of so many around the world. I can only imagine the moment that she heard the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant…Enter into the joy of your lord” (Matthew 25:23).
Nurse Aileen Coleman (right) and ministry partner Dr. Eleanor Soltau outside the first hospital they served in the Middle East in 1967.
A Good Samaritan All Her Life
When Franklin Graham was in his late teens, he volunteered to drive a Land Rover from England to Jordan so it could be used by medical missionaries Aileen Coleman and Dr. Eleanor Soltau at a tuberculosis hospital called the Mafraq Sanatorium. During his visits to Jordan, Franklin first felt the Lord calling him to help the disadvantaged people of the world.
“God used Aileen to impact a 19-year-old who wasn’t grounded, who was drifting, who didn’t really know where God was leading him,” Franklin Graham said.
Aileen Coleman cared for countless infants during her service in Jordan.
In 1973, Franklin was introduced to Bob Pierce during Billy Graham’s Atlanta crusade, and he recommended that Samaritan’s Purse support the Mafraq hospital. Even today, Mafraq remains one of the longest-running partnerships of Samaritan’s Purse. Dr. Soltau died in 1997. Aileen Coleman continued to work in Jordan until her death in 2025, caring for the Bedouins and sharing the hope of Jesus in the midst of a challenging culture.
“Aileen, that’s what you have been all of your life—a Good Samaritan.”—Franklin Graham
“I never doubted that [at Annoor] is where I should be. But it hasn’t been easy,” Aileen said in 2019. As Franklin Graham presented her an award that year at our Prescription for Renewal event, he said, “We know and understand the sacrifice she has made and is still making today for the people of Jordan.”
When he handed her a bronze sculpture of the Good Samaritan, he told her, “Aileen, that’s what you have been all of your life—a Good Samaritan.”
