While Rosalynn Carter was many things—former first lady and acclaimed mental health advocate among them—to Jason Carter, she was first and foremost a grandmother. And that’s cool.
“She was my grandmother first,” said Jason, son of Jack Carter and Judy Langford, in remarks delivered at a ceremony honoring Rosalynn on Tuesday.
He continued: “And she was like everyone else’s grandmother in many ways. Almost all of her recipes require, for example, mayonnaise. We all got birthday cards from her with a $20 bill.”
All about the children and grandchildren of Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter
Jason Carter.
Brynn Anderson/POOL/AFP/Getty
Jason, who currently chairs the Carter Center, used his time to recall sweet moments that illustrate just how humble Rosalynn was, such as the time the family was on a flight and sat in the back of the plane.
“The plane took off and we looked over and my grandma got out this Tupperware of pimiento cheese and this piece of bread and she just started making sandwiches,” he recalled. “She gave them to all of us grandchildren, and then she started giving them to other people on the plane.”
He continued, “And people were just sitting there going, ‘Rosalynn Carter just made me this sandwich!’ You know? They couldn’t believe it. But she loved people.”
Jimmy Carter wears a blanket with a picture of his late wife Rosalynn’s face at her memorial service
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Rosalynn Carter and her grandson Jason Carter at the 2019 Rosalynn Carter Mental Health Forum in Georgia.
Michael Schwarz, Carter Center
More than anything, Jason said, Rosalynn was a “cool grandma.” So cool, in fact, that she wasn’t afraid to engage in physical activities that bordered on dangerous.
“She was cool, like she was doing tai chi with a sword,” Jason said, to laughter from those in attendance, adding, “She was so grounded, everybody, it was amazing.”
Rosalynn Carter’s Strawberry Shortcake Recipe Shared After Her Death: ‘A Carter Family Favorite’
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Jason Carter.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/POOL/AFP/Getty
Diagnosed with dementia in May, Rosalynn was admitted to hospital just two 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.
Rosalynn Carter will be buried at the family residence in Georgia after lying in state next week
Her husband Jimmy, 99, had a medical intervention cut short in February due to his own health problems and was in home care before Tuesday’s ceremony, during which he appeared alongside his and Rosalynn’s two children — Jack, Chip, Jeff and Amy — with both sides.
Along with an exchange of readings and fond memories during the service, the couple’s grandchildren served as honorary pallbearers.
Jimmy Carter called late wife Rosalynn his ‘equal partner in everything’ after her death at 96
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Rosalynn Carter’s casket.
ERIK S. LESSER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Speaking to PEOPLE in September, Jason admitted that 2023 was challenging as both Jimmy and Rosalynn dealt with health issues, but also “a real blessing” for the family, “because it gave us that opportunity to think about our personal relationships and experience outpourings from around the world for [Jimmy] and for [Rosalynn] and for them as a couple.”
Jason added that despite her declining health, the love between Rosalynn and Jimmy hasn’t faded throughout the year. “They’re definitely still there for each other,” he said in a September interview. “They are in love at home together and at peace with whatever comes next… That love story that really defines their life continues to define it.”
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Source: HIS Education