Rosalynn Carter’s son shared memories of the campaign trail and life at home in the years after the White House during a tribute to the former first lady in Atlanta on Tuesday afternoon.
‘My mother was the glue that held our family together, through the ups and downs and the thick and thin of family politics. As individuals, she believed in us and cared for us,” James Earl “Chip” Carter said at the service, attended by U.S. presidents and first ladies who served after her and her husband.
He recalled how his mother was kept informed on ongoing issues during Jimmy Carter’s presidency and was always able to “speak with authority on issues in our country and the world.”
“She told me that when Dad ran for president, what she enjoyed most was the people she met around the country,” he said.
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And he said his mother was “influential” in helping him get treatment for drug and alcohol addiction, noting, “She saved my life.”
Kathryn Cade, longtime aide to Rosalynn Carter, said the former first lady’s compassion and empathy for those suffering were boundless; her passion for action even more so.”
The former first lady dedicated her life to alleviating the plight of other people — and other creatures, and helped raise awareness for the endangered monarch butterflies — and found joy in acts of service, Cade said.
“Today we indeed mourn a remarkable person, one of the truly good people in this world. May those of us who knew and loved her as a friend and colleague honor her life by building on her legacy of deep care for the most vulnerable. among us,” she added.
Rosalynn Carter, who worked with her husband on humanitarian projects for most of her life and was a fierce advocate of mental health reform and the destigmatization of mental illness, died on November 19 at the age of 96. Her family said she was in hospice care for two days. before her death. In May, they said she had been diagnosed with dementia.
Carter family, presidents attend service
Former President Jimmy Carter, who is 99 and receiving hospice care at home, sat in the front row of the Atlanta church where the service took place. But he is “reaching the end of his life” and is “physically impaired” and would not comment, grandson Jason Carter said before the service.
“But we all know he wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he added.
The former president’s daughter, Amy Lynn Carter, was seen holding her father’s hand.
“My mother was in love with my father most of her life,” Amy Carter said during the service. “Their partnership and love story were a defining feature of her life.”
The Carters’ sons, John William “Jack” Carter and Donnel Jeffrey “Jeff” Carter were also there and eleven of their surviving grandchildren were expected to attend.
The motorcade carrying her casket left Tuesday morning from the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, where she lay at rest Monday evening. After a short drive, it arrived for the service at Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church at Emory University.
The invitation-only service is exactly what she envisioned, Jason Carter told CNN earlier in the day, adding that she designed the program herself.
“We are doing exactly what she wanted at the agency,” he said. “She would have been amazed and pleased by the outpouring of love and support.”
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden, former President Bill Clinton and former first ladies Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush, Michelle Obama and Melania Trump were in attendance.
Senator Raphael Warnock, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens also attended the tribute service. Rosalynn Carter’s surviving grandchildren would be honorary pallbearers, the Carter Center said.
Ceremonies last until Wednesday
Ceremonies honoring the life and legacy of Rosalynn Carter began Monday across Georgia, with a motorcade traveling from her small hometown of Plains to Atlanta, where she lay in repose for several hours as hundreds came to pay their respects.
On its way to Atlanta Monday, the former first lady’s motorcade made a few brief stops, including at her alma mater, Georgia Southwestern State University, where officials laid wreaths at a bronze statue dedicated to her.
The halftime service was held Monday evening at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library in Atlanta.
A departure ceremony took place Tuesday morning at the Carter Presidential Center before Rosalynn Carter’s motorcade left for church.
According to the center, the ceremony will feature some of Rosalynn Carter’s favorite passages and songs from the scriptures. Country musicians Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, who have participated in Habitat for Humanity projects honoring the Carters, are also expected to perform.
A private funeral service for family and invited friends will be held Wednesday morning at the Carters’ beloved Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, where the couple had lived since returning from the White House in 1981.
A lifetime of advocacy
In the days following her death, family members and leaders from across the United States have remembered Rosalynn Carter as a lifelong humanitarian and a passionate advocate for a number of causes, including mental health and caregiving.
“Rosalynn Carter’s deep compassion for people around the world and her tireless strength on their behalf have touched lives around the world. We have heard from thousands of you since her passing,” her family said in a statement last week. “Thank you all for joining us in celebrating what a treasure she was, not just to us, but to all of humanity.”
Together with her husband, Rosalynn Carter spent much of her time advocating for better care for people with mental illness. As First Lady of Georgia, she helped shift treatment to community mental health centers, and in the White House she helped her husband create a presidential commission on mental health.
Side by side, the Carters revolutionized the post-presidency, working for decades to advance world peace and human rights on behalf of the Carter Center, the nonprofit organization they founded.
The two traveled to hotspots around the world, including Cuba, Sudan and North Korea, where they monitored the elections and worked to eradicate Guinea worm disease and other neglected tropical diseases.
Rosalynn Carter also dedicated her time to the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers, which she founded on the campus of Georgia Southwestern State University.
The Carters were married for more than 77 years.
“Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I have ever accomplished,” Jimmy Carter said in a statement after his wife’s death. “She gave me wise guidance and encouragement when I needed it. As long as Rosalynn was in the world, I always knew someone loved and supported me.”
CNN’s Devon M. Sayers, Eva McKend, Nick Valencia and Jaide Timm-Garcia contributed to this story.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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