Rosalynn Carter dies at 96: Former First Lady and wife of Jimmy Carter dies two days after entering hospice care and six months after dementia diagnosis
Rosalynn Carter dies at 96: Former First Lady and wife of Jimmy Carter dies two days after being admitted to hospice and six months after being diagnosed with dementia.
The veteran women’s rights activist was married to President Carter for 77 years and died with her family by her side at her home in Plains, Georgia, at 2:10 p.m., the Carter Center said.
She is survived by her children – Jack, Chip, Jeff and Amy – and 11 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. A grandson died in 2015.
“Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I have ever accomplished,” President Carter, 99, said this afternoon.
“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.”
Rosalynn Carter dies at 96: Former First Lady and wife of Jimmy Carter dies two days after being admitted to hospice and six months after being diagnosed with dementia
A decades-long love story: Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter in 1946. The couple was married for 77 years
Former President of the United States, Jimmy Carter walks with his wife, former First Lady, Rosalynn Carter to their home after dinner at a friend’s house on Saturday, August 4, 2018 in Plains
“In addition to being a loving mother and an extraordinary First Lady, my mother was a great humanitarian in her own right,” said son Chip Carter.
“Her life of service and compassion was an example to all Americans. She will be deeply missed not only by our family, but by the many people today who have better mental health care and access to care resources.”
She and President Carter, 99, “spent time together” in their final days, her family said.
The couple had four children together, 21 grandchildren and great-grandchildren
Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter has entered hospice care at her home. She and President Carter are shown in 2021
Former first lady Rosalynn Carter looks on as President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden leave former President Jimmy Carter’s home during a trip to mark Biden’s 100th day in office, Thursday, April 29, 2021.
Then-Georgia State Senator Jimmy Carter embraces his wife, Rosalynn, at his campaign headquarters in Atlanta in this 1966 file photo
The Carters are seen above at the Democratic National Convention in New York City in July 1976
The then-president kisses his wife as he boards a helicopter for a trip from the White House to Camp David in May 1979
The president has been in hospice care at their home in Georgia for several months.
They are the longest married couple in US presidential history, having met when Jimmy was just three years old and Rosalynn was just born.
On July 7, 2023, they celebrated their 77th wedding anniversary.
The couple first dated in 1945. Then-20-year-old Jimmy attended the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, and stole a kiss from Rosalynn on their first date.
Later he told his mother that he wanted to marry her.
Jimmy told People in 2015 that marrying her was the “best thing I’ve ever done,” describing their partnership as the “highlight” of his life.
Ahead of their 75th wedding anniversary in 2021, he said, “My biggest secret is to marry the right person if you want to have a long-lasting marriage.”
“Every day there must be reconciliation and communication between the two spouses,” he added, explaining that he and Rosalynn, both devout Christians, read the Bible aloud together every evening — something they had done for years, even as they were separated by their travels. .
“We’re not going to bed with some disagreements between us.”
Rosalynn was diagnosed with dementia in May – three months after her husband entered hospice care in their Georgia home.
Jimmy and Rosalynn are seen kissing upstairs during a reopening ceremony for the redesigned Carter Presidential Library in Atlanta in October 2009
“Every day there must be reconciliation and communication between the two spouses,” the former president said, explaining that he and Rosalynn, both devout Christians, read the Bible out loud together every evening.
The couple was photographed at President George HW Bush’s funeral in 2018
The couple lived in the hometown where they were born and raised. They are seen above in Plains, Georgia in February 2017
Rosalynn and her husband pictured with a Boy Scout troop last November
The couple continued to enjoy life’s simple pleasures in 2018, including regular helpings of his favorite ice cream according to Jason Carter, his grandson.
‘Mrs. Carter spent much of her life as the nation’s leading mental health advocate,” the Carter Center said at the time.
“First at the Georgia Governor’s Mansion, then at the White House and later at the Carter Center, she pushed for greater access to care and less stigma around mental health issues.
“One in 10 older Americans has dementia, a condition that affects overall mental health. We recognize, as they did more than half a century ago, that stigma is often a barrier that prevents individuals and their families from seeking and receiving much-needed support.
“As founder of the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers, Ms. Carter often noted that there are only four kinds of people in this world: those who have been caregivers; those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers, and those who need caregivers.”