Jimmy Carter's Kids Console Him During Rosalynn Carter's Tribute Ceremony

Carter’s four grown children surrounded him Tuesday as he made a rare public appearance to attend his late wife’s memorial service in Atlanta

Jimmy Carter’s four grown children surrounded and comforted him Tuesday as he made a rare public appearance to attend a memorial service for his late wife Rosalynn Carter in Atlanta.

The former president, 99, stopped medical intervention in February due to his own health problems and was in hospice care at home before Tuesday’s ceremony, with his and Rosalynn’s two children — Jack, Chip, Jeff and Amy — by his side. both sides.

According to the program shared at the service, the couple’s children shared readings and fond memories during the service, while their grandchildren served as honorary pallbearers.

Bidens, Clintons and Michelle Obama arrive in Georgia together for Rosalynn Carter memorial service: photos

During moving remarks, Chip shared how Rosalynn was “the glue that held our family together through the ups and downs, the rough and tumble of our family politics.”

“As individuals, she believed in us and took care of us,” he said, adding that Rosalynn “was instrumental in me going into rehab for my drug and alcohol addiction. She saved my life.”

Chip also shared a story about the time after his father was hospitalized and his mother was diagnosed with dementia, saying, “One day, my mother was sitting with my wife, Becky, and she was reminiscing about what it was like to go live in Hawaii, and she was talking about learning all the native dances.”

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“She got up from the sofa, pushed away her walker, without which she couldn’t take a step, and continued doing hula for two or three minutes. She grabbed her walker, turned around, sat on the sofa, turned to my wife and said: ‘That’s how it’s done,'” he added. .

James “Chip” Carter kisses the head of his father, former US President Jimmy Carter, during a service honoring former US first lady Rosalynn Carter.

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Wrapped in a blanket with Rosalynn’s image embroidered on it, the former president himself sat in a wheelchair in the front row, alongside current president Joe Biden, former president Bill Clinton and all living first ladies of the United States: Dr. Jill Biden, Melania Trump, Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush.

Diagnosed with dementia in May, Rosalynn was admitted to the hospital just days before her death on November 19 at the age of 96.

She died “peacefully” at her longtime home in Plains, Georgia, “with her family by her side,” according to a statement from The Carter Center.

Former presidents and first ladies gather for Rosalynn Carter’s memorial service

In an accompanying statement, President Carter said, “Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished. She gave me wise guidance and encouragement when I needed it. As long as Rosalynn was in the world, I always knew that someone loves and supports.”

The former first lady and the former president met when they were babies, married and had four children of their own before Jimmy was elected president.

During their decades together, the two spoke openly about their strong bond, and the former president even wrote a song about their love in 1995. On Tuesday, the Carter Center re-released the song, which read in part: “She’d smile, and the birds would feel that they don’t have to sing anymore, or maybe I didn’t get to hear their song.”

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Source: HIS Education