Rosalynn Carter funeral: Jimmy pays touching tribute to late wife at ...
US presidents and first ladies arrive for Rosalynn Carter’s tribute service
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Former President Jimmy Carter joined other former presidents, first ladies and notable lawmakers in honouring his late wife Rosalynn Carter at a tribute service on Tuesday in Atlanta.
Carter, a renowned mental health advocate, died on November 19 at the age of 96.
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden sat in the front row of the Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church at Emory University alongside former President Bill Clinton and former First Ladies Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama, Laura Bush and Melania Trump.
The invitation-only tribute service featured Carter’s children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
The funeral services honouring Carter began on Monday with a motorcade procession carrying her to the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library. There, she lay in repose with hundreds of people paying their respects.
After the tribute service, the former first lady’s coffin will be transported to the church service, where country music legends Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood will perform.
This will be followed by a private funeral service for friends and family on Wednesday.
Jimmy Carter remains a home hospice patient and there are “no updates” on the former president’s health, according to a spokesperson for the Carter Center.
The spokesperson, Matthew De Galan, addressed Mr Carter’s health the day after former First Lady Rosalynn Carter died at the family home in Plains, Georgia, on November 19.
Ms Carter’s death came just days after it was announced that the 96-year-old had also entered home hospice. She had been diagnosed with dementia in May.
The former president’s last public appearance came in September, when in a surprise, he and his wife took part in the Peanut Festival in Plains.
The couple were seen riding in an SUV and waving to the crowd.
Ariana Baio29 November 2023 13:00
Former President Jimmy Carter attended the memorial service of his late wife, Rosalynn Carter, on Tuesday – making a rare public appearance since entering hospice in February.
Mr Carter, 99, emerged from the wings of the Glenn Memorial Church at Emory University in a wheelchair to join the current president and first lady, as well as other former first ladies to pay his respects to his late wife of 77 years.
Ariana Baio reports:
Ariana Baio29 November 2023 12:00
Jason Carter, the grandson of former President Jimmy and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter told The New York Times that his grandfather was determined to attend Rosalynn’s tribute service despite his physical condition.
Mr Carter told The Times that his grandfather, who is 99, is “coming to the end” and “very, very, physically diminished.”
“But I think he was proud and happy that he was there for her till the very end, and he wasn’t going to miss this for anything,” Mr Carter added.
“He has been this moral rock for so many people, but she really was that rock for him. He’s glad he’s not going to miss it, but we’re all worried about him.”
Jimmy Carter entered the tribute service in a wheelchair with a blanket draped over his lap. He appeared pale and did not make eye contact with the current or former presidents and first ladies when he arrived.
Ariana Baio29 November 2023 11:00
Every living first lady – former and current – attended the tribute service of former First Lady Rosalynn Carter on Tuesday afternoon.
First Lady Jill Biden joined Melania Trump, Micelle Obama, Laura Bush and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were all in attendance, standing front and center.
Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former US First Lady Laura Bush, former US First Lady Michelle Obama, and former US First Lady Melania Trump arrive for a tribute service for former US First Lady Rosalynn Carter, at Glenn Memorial Church in Atlanta, Georgia, on November 28, 2023.
(AFP via Getty Images)
President Joe Biden and former President Bill Clinton were also in attendance along with Carter’s husband, former President Jimmy Carter.
Ariana Baio29 November 2023 10:00
President Carter arrives at tribute service to wife Rosalynn
Ariana Baio29 November 2023 08:00
The grandson of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter previously told news outlets that even at the end of their lives, the two were still together and holding hands.
“They are still here, they are still holding hands and still very much together,” Josh Carter told People magazine in August.
Carter and her husband were married for 77 years.
Toward the end of her life, Carter was diagnosed with dementia. But even then, she was able to recognise her husband.
Josh Carter told People Carter was aware of Mr Carter and her other family members at the time but that it was probably “hard” for Mr Carter to see his wife lose access to older memories.
“I think the beautiful thing is that they are still together,” Josh said.
Ariana Baio29 November 2023 06:00
Jason Carter, the grandson of former President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter delivered an emotional tribute of his grandmother.
“My grandmother doesn’t need a eulogy; her life was a sermon,” Mr Carter said.
Ariana Baio29 November 2023 04:00
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter attends a tribute service for his wife former first lady Rosalynn Carter, at Glenn Memorial Church in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., November 28, 2023.
(REUTERS)
James "Chip" Carter kisses his father, former President Jimmy Carter, after speaking during a tribute service for his mother, former first lady Rosalynn Carter, at Glenn Memorial Church at Emory University on Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023, in Atlanta, as Amy Carter, left, looks on.
(AP)
Ariana Baio29 November 2023 03:00
John Carter
John William “Jack” Carter, 76, is the eldest son of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter.
He spent his young adult years at the Georgia Institute of Technology, but later left to join the US Navy and served during the Vietnam War.
He would eventually be discharged after he was caught smoking marijuana while stationed in Idaho, but would later rejoin Georgia Tech and earn a degree in nuclear physics.
Like his father, Mr Carter also had a stint in US politics, winning the Democratic primary for the US Senate of Nevada in 2006, but lost the general election to Republican John Ensign.
James Carter
James Earl “Chip” Carter III, 73, the second eldest son, was handed down his father’s and grandfather’s name. He later had a son with his first wife Caron Griffin, who he also bestowed the name upon.
He worked in the family peanut warehouse for a while before he was elected to the Plains City Council and worked on the Democratic National Committee, he told the University of Georgia.
Donnel Carter
Donnel “Jeff” Carter, 71, is the youngest of the Carter brothers.
He studied geography and computer cartography and later co-founded the company, Computer Mapping Consultants, with his former professor the same year he graduated, he told Time magazine.
He had three children, Joshua, Jeremy and the late James.
Amy Carter
Amy Carter, 56, is the only daughter and youngest child by 15 years of the former president and first lady.
Ms Carter spent her childhood years in the White House while her father was serving as president, putting her in the political and media spotlight at a young age.
She later went on to become known for her political activism, such as participating in protests and sit-ins against US foreign policy in Central America and apartheid in South Africa. On one occasion in 1986, Ms Carter and several others were arrested during a protest against CIA recruitment.
Ariana Baio29 November 2023 02:00
During a tribute from Rosalynn Carter’s son, James Earl “Chip” Carter III, the former first lady’s son described how his mother kept the entire Carter family together.
Mr Carter described his mother as “the glue” that held the family together “through the ups and downs and thicks of things of our family’s politics.”
He reflected on her time as first lady and her desire to help people throughout the country as well as establish duties for the Office of the First Lady.
“She told me that when dad started running for president that the thing that she enjoyed the most was the people that she met across the country,” Mr Carter said.
He added that Rosalynn’s empathetic nature helped him personally when he needed to seek help for his substance use disorder.
“She saved my life.”
Ariana Baio29 November 2023 01:00
