Rosalynn Carter, the spouse of former US President Jimmy Carter, passed away at the age of ninety-six in their Georgia home, according to a nonprofit organization.
After leaving the White House, Mrs. Carter gained international recognition for her efforts supporting human rights, democracy, and health issues while upholding a strikingly modest public persona.
After receiving a dementia diagnosis in May, she joined her spouse in receiving at-home hospice care on Friday.
“Former first lady Rosalynn Carter, a passionate champion of mental health, caregiving and women’s rights, passed away Sunday… at her home in Plains, Georgia, at the age of 96,” according to a statement released by the Carter Center.
“She died peacefully, with family by her side.”
Jimmy Carter remarked,
“Rosalynn Carter was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished,” in the statement.
“When I needed it, she provided me with sage advice and inspiration. I always felt that someone loved and supported me as long as Rosalynn was alive,” the former Democratic president remarked.
Jimmy Carter’s wife had a central role in his campaigns for the whole of his lengthy political career.
During her tenure as first lady from 1977 to 1981, Rosalynn Carter distinguished herself by her desire to be actively involved in policy-making.
“Rosalynn Carter attended Cabinet meetings and major briefings, frequently represented the Chief Executive at ceremonial occasions, and served as the president’s emissary to Latin American countries,” according to the White House’s official website.
The first of four children, Rosalynn Carter, was born on August 18, 1927, in the little town of Plains.
After her father passed away when she was 13 years old, she helped her mother, a dressmaker, by working alongside her.
In 1945, while she was attending college and Jimmy Carter was on leave from the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, they crossed paths.
As the longest-married presidential couple and, with 99-year-old Jimmy Carter as the oldest living US president, they set multiple longevity records in US politics when they were married in 1946.
The Carter Center reports that the former first lady, who lost a grandson in 2015, is survived by her four daughters, 11 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren.
According to Chip Carter, the son of the Carters, “My mother was a great humanitarian in her own right, in addition to being a loving mother and extraordinary first lady.”
“She will be sorely missed not only by our family but by the many people who have better mental health care and access to resources for caregiving today.”
Jimmy Carter’s family said in February of this year that he had entered hospice care in Plains, where he and Rosalynn have resided since the 1960s.
Since then, the one-term Democratic president has taken many by surprise by continuing to greet guests, get updates on the humanitarian activities of the Carter Center, and frequently indulge in ice cream, according to his family.
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