Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter pictured in 1965 outside the Plains, Georgia, house they built.Photo: Jimmy Carter Library
Rosalynn Carter, a lifelong advocate for mental health and human rights advocate and the wife of former PresidentJimmy Carter, will be memorialized witha series of public and private eventsin Georgia after the Thanksgiving holiday — ending with her burial at the Plains residence she called home since 1961.
On Monday, Nov. 27, ceremonies will begin with a wreath-laying at Georgia Southwestern State University’s Rosalynn Carter Health and Human Sciences Complex. The former first lady will then be taken to the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, where members of the public are invited to pay respects while she lies in repose from 6 to 10 p.m.
On Tuesday, Nov. 28, the Carter motorcade will move to Emory University’s Glenn Memorial Church for a private tribute service, and on Wednesday, Nov. 28, a formal funeral service for family and friends will take place at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains.
The public is welcomed to line the family’s motorcade route after the funeral service before she is privately interred at the Carter family’s residence, near the home she and President Carter built more than 60 years ago.
In lieu of flowers, the Carter family is requesting that those interested consider contributing to the Carter Center’s Mental Health Program or the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers.
Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter pose inside their Plains, Georgia, home during a visit from Joe and Jill Biden in 2021.Adam Schultz/AP/Shutterstock
Jimmy, who terminated medical intervention in February amid his own health challenges at the age of 99,remains in hospice care at home.
Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter walk back toward home after eating dinner with friends in Plains, Georgia, on Aug. 4, 2018.Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty
Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty
In a statement released following her death, the former president said, “Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished. She gave me wise guidance and encouragement when I needed it. As long as Rosalynn was in the world, I always knew somebody loved and supported me.”
After leaving the White House, the Carters startedThe Carter Center, a health and human rights organization aimed at alleviating human suffering around the globe. Rosalynn chaired the center’s Mental Health Task Force and served as a member of the Carter Center Board of Trustees.
Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter volunteering with Habitat for Humanity.Habitat for Humanity International
Rosalynn was perhaps most visible for her and Jimmy’spartnership with Habitat for Humanity, called theCarter Work Project, which began in the ’80s and still operates.
“For anybody who wants to get involved with an organization, there is nothing that they could do that would give them such a life-changing experience as Habitat,” Rosalynn once said. “This is something that brings together people who have everything they need and those who don’t have so many things we take for granted.”
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Rosalynn, the recipient of numerous honors from organizations like the National Organization of Women and the National Mental Health Association, was awarded thePresidential Medal of Freedomalongside her husband in 1999.
At the time, PresidentBill Clintonremarked, “Just as Eleanor Roosevelt will be remembered for her work on human rights, Rosalynn Carter will always be remembered as a pioneer on mental health and a champion of our children. … Thanks to her work, I believe we will see the day not too long away when mental illnesses are treated just like any other illnesses and covered just like any other illnesses.”
source: people.com
