Rosalynn Carter: Mourners pay tribute to wife of Jimmy Carter at memorial service

US President Joe Biden, first lady Jill Biden and a host of their predecessors joined mourners in Atlanta, Georgia, on Tuesday to pay tribute to former first lady Rosalynn Carter, who died on November 19, aged 96.

Ms Carter was diagnosed with dementia in May and died shortly after entering hospice care.

Her husband, former president Jimmy Carter, who has been in hospice care at their home in Georgia, attended the service, which took place at Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church.

All five living first ladies sat in the front row.

Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Bill Clinton were among those to pay their respects.

Country music stars Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood performed a rendition of John Lennon’s Imagine.

“Mum was always well-informed on the issues of the day,” the Carters’ son James Earl “Chip” Carter III told the service, describing her “partnership” with Mr Carter during his presidency.

“In the White House, mum asked so many questions that he finally said that she should attend cabinet meetings. So she did and caught a lot of flak for that.”

Her children and grandchildren recalled fly-fishing trips with Rosalynn Carter and her fondness for using mayonnaise in her recipes, and how her human warmth guided her public service, Reuters reported.

The Carters were the longest-married presidential couple, having been married for 77 years. The former first lady was considered one of Mr Carter’s closest advisers during his presidential term.

“Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished. She gave me wise guidance and encouragement when I needed it,” Mr Carter said in a statement after his wife’s death.

“As long as Rosalynn was in the world, I always knew somebody loved and supported me.”

Ms Carter was also a fierce advocate for mental health and was part of a commission during Mr Carter’s presidential term that would result in the 1980 passage of the Mental Health Systems Act.

Rosalynn Carter with members of the Girl Scouts of America in the White House in March 1977. Photo: US National Archives

Ms Carter was one of her husband Jimmy’s closest advisers while he was US president and governor of Georgia, seen here at Camp David with Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin in September 1978. Photo: US National Archives

Ms Carter stands to the right as her husband signs the Extension of Equal Rights Amendment ratification at the White House in October 1978. Photo: US National Archives

Mr and Ms Carter dance at the Congressional Christmas Ball at the White House in Washington in 1978. AP

Democratic presidential candidate Jimmy Carter embraces his wife Rosalynn after receiving final news of his victory in the national general election on November 2, 1976. Getty

Mr Carter is sworn in by chief justice Earl Burger as the 39th president of the US, with his wife by his side on the East Portico of the White House on January 20, 1977. Getty

The Carters admire the cake for his 90th birthday in Americus, Georgia. AP

Ms Carter advocates for mental health at the Carter Centre in Atlanta. Michael A Schwarz

The Carters leave a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a solar panel project on farmland he owns in their hometown of Plains. The Carters installed solar panels on the roof of the White House, which were removed by president Ronald Reagan. AP

The Carters celebrate their 75th wedding anniversary with friends at Plains High School, in the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park in Georgia. The Carter Centre / Reuters

Ms Carter was one of her husband’s most important advisers while he was president and governor of Georgia. AFP

The Carters at a welcoming ceremony during a visit to 32 houses built for poor families under the Habitat for Humanity project at Dong Xa, a village in the northern province of Hai Duong, Vietnam. AFP

The Carters at the Democratic National Convention in Madison Square Gardens in New York. AP

Ms Carter receives a kiss from her husband at the reopening ceremony for the newly redesigned Carter Presidential Library in Atlanta, in 2009. AP

Ms Carter gives her husband a send-off as he boards a helicopter in Washington for the trip to Camp David. AP

The Carters and daughter Amy respond to a huge crowd that welcomed them to New York. AP

Then Georgia state senator Jimmy Carter with his wife at his Atlanta campaign headquarters in 1966. AP

After leaving the White House, the couple established the Carter Centre in Atlanta, which supports human rights and democracy.

The Bidens, who praised Ms Carter’s legacy on her death, met privately with Mr Carter and expressed their condolences, the White House confirmed.

“The President and the first lady shared a private moment with President Carter before the ceremony, and were able to express their condolences directly to the Carter family,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Tuesday evening.

Mr Biden has shared a long friendship with Mr Carter that dates back to the outset of their national political careers, Bloomberg reported. In 1976, Mr Biden was the first elected official outside Georgia to endorse Mr Carter’s presidential campaign.

They kept a close bond over decades. Three months after entering the White House, the Bidens visited the Carters at their home in Plains, Georgia.