Remembering Rosalynn Carter’s Unique Role as First Lady

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who is receiving hospice care, attended a memorial service for his wife, Rosalynn Carter, in Atlanta, Georgia, on the 28th (local time). He entered the church in a wheelchair and watched the service. It lasted an hour and a half, from the front row until the end.

A church inside Emory University in Atlanta solemnly held the funeral of Rosalynn Carter on the 28th. She passed away at 96 at her home in Plains, Georgia, on the 19th (local time).

The event was attended by U.S. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden; former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; Melania Trump, the wife of former President Donald Trump; Michelle Obama, the wife of former President Barack Obama, and Laura Bush, the wife of former President George W. Bush, among other surviving former First Ladies.

Family members and friends took turns paying tribute to the deceased at the event.

James “Chip” Carter, the son of former President Carter, fondly reminisced that his mother was the hero of his life. He shared that during her 77 years of marriage, she always saw through the daily issues. He also mentioned that she asked so many questions in the White House that she even participated in cabinet meetings.

Furthermore, he admired their lives, stating, “Losing the election in 1980 was devastating to us all. My parents were still young, my mother only 53, and they knew they still had more to contribute. They decided they would become missionaries and spent months trying to decide how to accomplish their goals. Finally, they decided as partners to start The Carter Center, which would allow my mother to continue to fight the stigma of mental illness and allow them both to help the poorest of the poor on this Earth as Jesus had taught them.”

Amy Lynn Carter, their daughter, said, “My mom spent most of her life in love with my dad. Their partnership and love story was a defining feature of her life.”

Judy Woodruff is a journalist who has built a relationship with the Carter family since their gubernatorial campaign. She paid tribute to the deceased by stating that Mrs. Rosalynn understood the weight of her words and actions. Also, she mentioned that Mrs. Carter cared about the lives of Americans and was a First Lady who thought about policy.

Before the memorial service, a stream of mourners had visited the mourning altar set up in Atlanta over the past three days to pay their last respects to the deceased.

In particular, a large crowd gathered to watch as people brought Mrs. Rosalynn’s coffin to and from the church where they held the service.

On the 29th, a church in her hometown of Plains will host a farewell service, with only family, friends, and acquaintances attending. They will then lay Mrs. Rosalynn to rest in her hometown.

Mrs. Rosalynn passed away at 96 at her home in Plains, Georgia, on the 19th.

Last May, doctors diagnosed her with dementia, and she entered hospice care on the 17th, passing away just two days later.

Born in Plains, Georgia, in 1927, Mrs. Rosalynn married former President Carter in 1946. Unlike other First Ladies, she was recognized for her powerful political influence, uniquely attending cabinet meetings with former President Carter.

By. Hwang Soo Min