Rosalynn Carter is honored by presidents and fellow First Ladies

Former President Jimmy Carter will leave hospice care Tuesday to join some of his successors and every living presidential spouse in honor of Rosalynn Carter, his wife and partner of more than three-quarters of a century and the nation’s first lady in 1977 until 1981. the Carter Center said.

Mr. Carter, who turned 99 last month and has rarely been seen in public since entering hospice care in February, made the 140-mile journey from the couple’s home in Plains, Georgia, to Atlanta for a tribute at the Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church. at Emory University. President Biden, former President Bill Clinton and all five living first ladies will also be in attendance.

Mrs. Carter, who suffered from dementia, died last week at the age of 96 at the family’s modest ranch-style home in Plains, just a few months after she and her husband celebrated their 77th wedding anniversary, making them the longest-standing presidential couple were in the world. American history. Weak but alert and smiling, the two made their last public appearance together in September, when they were wheeled around the Plains Peanut Festival.

Born in her family’s home in Plains, the small town where she would live most of her life, as a young girl Eleanor Rosalynn Smith might have been amazed at the star-studded turnout that would greet her at the end. Her father drove a school bus, owned an auto repair shop and ran a farm, while her mother sold milk from their only cow, worked in the school cafeteria and later worked at the post office.

Rosalynn Carter, as she became known after marrying her childhood friend’s older brother, never forgot her humble roots, even as she headed for the White House, traveled the world representing her country, pushed for the betterment of transformed mental health care and the role of health care. first lady. After Mr. Carter lost re-election, the two returned to the small house they built in 1961 and focused on philanthropic activities for most of the past four decades.

In addition to Mr. Biden and Mr. Clinton, attendees at Tuesday’s service include Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff; Jill Biden, the current first lady; former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; three other former first ladies, Laura Bush, Michelle Obama and Melania Trump; Gov. Brian Kemp and Georgia’s first lady Marty Kemp; and Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens.

None of the high-profile attendees will speak. The ceremony reflected Mrs. Carter’s preference for simple elegance over modern glitz. Her grandchildren will serve as honorary pallbearers, with remarks or readings from her son James Earl Carter III, known as Chip; her daughter, Amy Carter; one of her grandsons; and three of her great-grandchildren.

The Rev. Mark Westmoreland, the pastor of Glenn Memorial, and Tony Lowden, Mr. and Mrs. Carter’s personal pastor, will address the service, and tributes will be given by Kathryn Cade, a longtime assistant and friend; Judy Woodruff, the former anchor of “PBS NewsHour”; and Jason Carter, her grandson and chairman of the Carter Center board.

Musical selections will be offered by members of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, David Osborne, Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood.

Mrs. Carter will then be returned to Plains, where she will be buried Wednesday at the Carter Home and Garden, part of the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park, after a funeral service at Maranatha Baptist Church. Mr. Carter plans to rest next to her when the time comes.