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Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter at the arrival of Deng Xiaoping, Deputy Premier of China, in Washington, DC, on January 29, 1979.
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Former first lady Rosalynn Carter’s motorcade is set to begin one of its final journeys Monday morning, traveling from her small hometown of Plains, Georgia, to Atlanta, where she is set to lie in repose for members of the public to pay their respects and share their final goodbyes.
She died peacefully in her Plains home on November 19, at the age of 96, two days after the Carter Center announced she was entering hospice care at home. A tireless advocate of mental health reform and the destigmatization of mental illness, Rosalynn Carter spent most of her life dedicated to humanitarian efforts, always at the side of her husband of more than 77 years, former US President Jimmy Carter. In May, the Carter Center said Rosalynn Carter had dementia.
The couple had returned home to Plains, about 120 miles south of Atlanta, after leaving the White House in 1981 and had lived there since. Jimmy Carter, who is 99, began receiving home hospice care in February, after a series of hospital stays.
The Carters’ last public appearance was September 23, when they took part in the annual peanut festival in Plains, Georgia. Jimmy Carter is expected to attend his wife’s memorial service Tuesday, according to his grandson Jason Carter.
People from across the state – and across the country – have made their way to Plains in the past week to celebrate Rosalynn Carter’s life and legacy as the town of several hundred prepared to say goodbye.
“She gave so much back to the community, to our world,” Georgia resident Andy Huggins told CNN last week. “I just felt the need to come through here one more time, just being in the presence here of her spirit. She was a beautiful person.”
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In this February 8, 2017, file photo, former President Jimmy Carter, right, and his wife Rosalynn arrive for a ribbon cutting ceremony for a solar panel project on farmland he owns in their hometown of Plains.
Rosalynn Carter’s motorcade was scheduled to leave downtown Plains at 10 a.m. on Monday and travel through the nearby city of Americus. The motorcade was also scheduled to make a short stop at a medical center, where “former members of her U.S. Secret Service Protection detail will serve as honorary pallbearers during a brief departure ceremony,” the Carter Center, the nonprofit the Carters founded, said.
In one of the first official observances of the former first lady’s death, two wreaths were laid near a bronze statue of Carter outside the Rosalynn Carter Health and Human Sciences Building 1 at Georgia Southwestern State University Monday morning.
University President Neal Weaver and CEO of the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers, Jennifer Olsen, placed the wreaths on opposite sides of the statue. The former first lady founded the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers on the school’s campus in 1987 and the organization has since supported and advocated for “tens of millions of Americans providing unpaid care for their loved ones,” the school said.
Members of the Carter family traveling with the motorcade stepped off the bus briefly to shake hands with participants.
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A statue of Rosalynn Carter sits in front of the Health and Human Sciences Complex on the campus of Georgia Southwestern State University, on Monday, November 20, 2023, in Americus.
The statue depicts the former first lady sitting on a bench, holding her book, “First Lady from Plains.”
“We will always remember her incredible accomplishments and dedication to service, and will continue to build on her legacy of advocacy,” the school said in a statement last week. “We will never forget what she means to this university.”
The public will be able to watch the brief ceremony, as well as view the motorcade throughout its route, the Carter Center said.
A repose service will then be held Monday afternoon at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library in Atlanta, and members of the public are invited to pay their respects from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., the Carter Center said.
A private tribute service is scheduled to take place Tuesday at Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church at the Emory University campus, with invited guests that include President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden. Vice President Kamala Harris and the second gentleman are also expected to attend.
A private funeral service for family and invited friends is set to take place Wednesday morning at the couple’s beloved Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains.
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Former first lady Rosalynn Carter poses for a portrait in New York in 2011.
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Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter were married on July 7, 1946. Both were born and raised in Plains, Georgia.
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Jimmy Carter, then a Georgia state senator, hugs his wife at his campaign headquarters in Atlanta in 1966.
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Rosalynn works the phones for her husband’s presidential campaign in May 1976.
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The president holds his grandson Jason as he and Rosalynn watch their daughter, Amy, in July 1976. The Carters also have three sons: Jeff, Chip and Jack. Jason is Jack’s son.
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The Carters embrace after receiving news that Jimmy had won the presidential election in November 1976.
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Rosalynn is interviewed by Barbara Walters for a TV special that aired in December 1976.
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The Carters hold Amy’s hand as they walk down Pennsylvania Avenue after the inauguration in January 1977. It was the first time in history that a president had not ridden toward the White House in a carriage or automobile to celebrate taking the oath of office.
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The Carters dance during one of the inaugural balls in January 1977.
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Rosalynn greets children during a trip to Brazil in June 1977.
Jimmy Carter Library
As honorary chairwoman of the President’s Commission on Mental Health, Rosalynn presents her husband with the commission’s recommendations for sweeping reforms to mental health policy and programs in 1978. The report led to the Mental Health Systems Act of 1980. Rosalynn has been a driving force for mental health throughout her life.
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The Carters relax on a riverboat in Dubuque, Iowa, in August 1979.
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Rosalynn travels on a plane as part of a campaign trip in October 1979. Her husband was up for reelection.
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Rosalynn campaigns for her husband in Waterloo, Iowa, in January 1980. Behind her, from left, are Joan Mondale, wife of Vice President Walter Mondale; Muriel Humphrey, former US senator and wife of the late Vice President Hubert Humphrey; and Ruth Carter Stapleton, Jimmy Carter’s youngest sister.
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The Harlem Globetrotters help Rosalynn spin a basketball on her finger in March 1980.
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The Carter ride a bicycle built for two in Plains, Georgia, in December 1980. Jimmy lost to Ronald Reagan in the 1980 presidential election.
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Rosalynn published her book “First Lady From Plains” in 1984.
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The Carters pose for pictures at a book signing event in San Francisco in 1987. They were promoting their book “Everything to Gain: Making the Most of the Rest of Your Life.”
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Rosalynn appears on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” in 1998.
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Rosalynn gets a kiss from her husband after they were awarded Presidential Medals of Freedom in 1999. The Carters were presented with the medals for the work they have done since leaving the White House in 1980.
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The Carters wave to delegates during the Democratic National Convention in 2004.
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Rosalynn makes phone calls to voters at the campaign headquarters of her son Jack. who was running for a US Senate seat in 2006.
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The Carters pose for a portrait during the Toronto International Film Festival in 2007.
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Rosalynn visits a hospital in Ashkelon, Israel, in 2008.
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The Carters arrive for Barack Obama’s inauguration in January 2009.
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The Carters kiss in October 2009 as Rosalynn introduces her husband at the ceremony for the redesigned Carter Presidential Library in Atlanta.
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In 2010, the Carters joined about 300 volunteers for a Habitat for Humanity project working on houses in Baltimore and Annapolis, Maryland.
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Rosalynn speaks to senators on Capitol Hill during a hearing of the Special Committee on Aging in 2011. Carter urged the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act, which provides older Americans access to caregiving services.
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The Carters are joined by their 4-year-old grandson Errol at Jimmy’s 90th birthday celebration in Americus, Georgia, in 2014.
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From left, Rosalynn, Caroline Kennedy and Hillary Clinton follow the casket of former first lady Nancy Reagan during her funeral in 2016.
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The Carters walk home together after having dinner at a friend’s home in Plains in 2018.
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The Carters are seen on the “kiss cam” during an NBA basketball game in Atlanta in 2019.
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The Carters relax at their home in Plains in June 2021. In 2019, they became the longest-married presidential couple in history.
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“Rosalynn Carter’s deep compassion for people everywhere and her untiring strength on their behalf 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 only to us, but to all humanity.”
The Carter Center said in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Carter Center Mental Health Program or the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers. Additionally, people can share their memories of the former first lady on a website that was created to honor her.
CNN’s Jaide Timm-Garcia and Eva McKend contributed to this report.
Amanda Smith is a dedicated U.S. correspondent with a passion for uncovering the stories that shape the nation. With a background in political science, she provides in-depth analysis and insightful commentary on domestic affairs, ensuring readers are well-informed about the latest developments across the United States.
