This Tuesday, Jimmy Carter said his last goodbye to his wife, the former first lady, Rosalynn Carter, who died on November 19 at the age of 96. He did it on the campus of Emory University in Atlanta. He attended the funeral in a wheelchair, covered by a blanket with his wife's face and accompanied by his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Former President Jimmy Carter arrives at Glenn Memorial Church at Emory University in Atlanta to attend the memorial service for his late wife and former first lady, Rosalynn Carter.
#VIDEO | El expresidente Jimmy Carter llega a la Iglesia Glenn Memorial en la Universidad Emory, en Atlanta, para asistir al servicio de homenaje a su difunta esposa y ex primera dama, Rosalynn Carter. pic.twitter.com/i5oBLLm9xK
— VOZ (@VozMediaUSA) November 28, 2023
They were not the only ones. Joe and Jill Biden as well as Bill Clinton, Vice President Kamala Harris, First Gentleman Doug Emhoff and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton attended the memorial service.
All the living former first ladies were in attendance: Melania Trump, Michelle Obama, and Laura Bush. All of them came to say a final goodbye to their predecessor, Rosalynn Carter. That small gesture, Axios reports, was described by the Carters' grandson, Jason, as further evidence of the "remarkable sisterhood that you share with my grandmother."
Jason was briefly interviewed before the service, as reported by The New York Times, about his grandfather's presence at the funeral as well as his increasingly deteriorating state of health:
He’s coming to the end, and he’s very, very physically diminished. But I think he was proud and happy that he was there for her till the very end, and he wasn’t going to miss this for anything. She was the rock for him. He has been this moral rock for so many people, but she really was that rock for him. He’s glad he’s not going to miss it, but we’re all worried about him.
The poem that Jimmy Carter wrote to his wife, Rosalynn
One of the most emotional moments of the service featured Jimmy Carter and the Carter Center. His organization shared a poem that Jimmy wrote to his wife in 1995. Titled "Rosalynn," the poem shows the deep love that the former president professed for his wife:
Read Rosalynn, a beautiful poem written by President Carter in 1995. pic.twitter.com/OKi59HpItO
— The Carter Center (@CarterCenter) November 28, 2023
That was not the only evidence of Jimmy and Rosalynn's love for each other. The Carters' daughter, Amy, also recalled, through tears, a letter the former president wrote to his wife 75 years ago when he was in the Navy.
My darling, every time I have ever been away from you, I have been thrilled when I returned to discover just how wonderful you are. While I am away, I try to convince myself that you really are not, could not be as sweet and beautiful as I remember. But when I see you, I fall in love with you all over again. Does that seem strange to you? It doesn’t to me. Goodbye, darling. Until tomorrow. Jimmy.
The last tribute to Rosalynn will take place this Wednesday. That day, the former first lady's casket will be taken to the Plains, where the Carters live. Following a funeral service at Maranatha Baptist Church, she will be buried at the Carter Home and Garden, located in the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park. Jimmy Carter will also be buried there when the time comes.
