Rosalynn Carter to lie in repose in Atlanta as mourners pay their respects

Former first lady and humanitarian Rosalynn Carter, who died on Nov. 19 at the age of 96, will be lying in repose on Monday at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, where members of the public are invited to pay their respects.

Rosalynn Carter’s remains were transported via motorcade to Georgia Southwestern State University in Americus, Georgia, and the public was invited to pay its respects along the motorcade route. Her casket then arrived at the Rosalynn Carter Health and Human Sciences Complex at Georgia Southwestern State University, where both Jimmy and Rosalynn attended. A formal wreath-laying ceremony will be held.

Monday marks the first day of three days of services for Rosalynn Carter. President Biden, first lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff are expected to attend Tuesday’s tribute service at Glenn Memorial Church at Emory University. Mr. Biden last week ordered the flags at the White House to be flown half-staff out of respect for Rosalynn.

The service Tuesday is for invited guests, according to the Carter Center.

Former and current U.S. Secret Service agents assigned to the Carter detail, carry casket of former first lady Rosalynn Carter at Phoebe Sumter Medical Center in Americus, Ga., Monday, Nov. 27, 2023. The former first lady died on Nov. 19. She was 96. / Credit: Alex Brandon / AP

On Wednesday, there will be a funeral procession to Maranatha Baptist Church, where a funeral service will take place for friends and family. Her casket will then be transferred to a hearse that will head to the Carter family residence for private interment.

It’s not yet known how much of the events Jimmy Carter, her husband of 77 years, will attend. “It all depends on his health,” said the couple’s son, Chip Carter, to The Washington Post. Jimmy Carter entered hospice care in February. Chip Carter said he was having a suit made since none of his suits currently fit due to his ill health.

Chip Carter told the Post that Jimmy Carter was by his wife’s side in her final moments.

“Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished,” the former president said in a statement after her death released by the Carter Center. “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.”

She is survived by her husband, four children and 22 grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Carter family members gather before the departure ceremony with the casket of former first lady Rosalynn Carter at Phoebe Sumter Medical Center in Americus, Ga., Monday, Nov. 27, 2023. The former first lady died on Nov. 19. She was 96. / Credit: Alex Brandon / AP