Rosalynn Carter to be laid to rest at family home after private funeral

(ATLANTA) — Rosalynn Carter, who transformed the role of first lady as a trusted political partner to former President Jimmy Carter and carved out her own humanitarian legacy, will be laid to rest on Wednesday at her home in Georgia.

Her funeral, a little more than a week after her death at age 96, will be held at Maranatha Baptist Church, where Jimmy Carter taught Sunday school for decades, in her hometown of Plains.

The private service will be attended by family members and invited friends.

Her final resting place will be the Carter family residence in Plains, where Jimmy Carter also plans to be buried.

The public can bid the late first lady a final farewell as the hearse carrying her casket departs the church and makes its way through downtown Plains.

Memorial events for Rosalynn Carter, who died on Nov. 19, spanned Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. A wreath-laying ceremony was held at Georgia Southwestern State University, her alma mater, and she laid in repose at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library before a public tribute service at Emory University attended by the Bidens, former first ladies and other political leaders.

Jimmy Carter, who has been in hospice care for nearly a year, made a rare public appearance to pay tribute to his wife of 77 years at Tuesday’s memorial service. He didn’t speak, but a letter he wrote 75 years ago to Rosalynn Carter was tearfully read aloud by their daughter, Amy Carter.

The couple previously spoke about being buried together at their residence, near the edge of a pond on the property where they fished together.

“We’re going to be buried right there, on that little hill,” Jimmy Carter told The Washington Post back in 2018.

Jimmy Carter was with his wife when she died peacefully at home, the family has said.

“Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished,” the former president said in a statement announcing her death. “She gave me wise guidance and encouragement when I needed it. As long as Rosalynn was in the world, I always knew somebody loved and supported me.”

The two co-founded The Carter Center, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing peace and eradicating diseases around the world, and worked with Habitat for Humanity. Rosalynn Carter was also a passionate mental health advocate.

She is survived by her husband, their four children, 11 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.