Former President Jimmy Carter, who served in the White House from 1977-1981, passed away on 29 December at the age of 100. The funeral observances for Carter began on Saturday in Georgia, the state where he died, with six days of events planned to honor his life. The first events focused on Carter’s rise from a small town to a global leader as a humanitarian and democracy advocate. The procession started at Phoebe Sumter Medical Center in Americus, where former Secret Service agents who protected Carter served as pallbearers as his family paid their respects.
James Earl Carter Jr. spent the majority of his 100 years in Plains, Georgia, where he was born in 1924. The motorcade passed through downtown Plains, highlighting significant locations such as the home of first lady Rosalynn Smith Carter and the couple’s family peanut warehouses. The route also included the old train depot used as Carter’s presidential campaign headquarters. The procession then stopped at Carter’s family farm and boyhood home in Archery before heading to Atlanta, where a moment of silence was led by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens.
The motorcade continued to the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta, which houses Carter’s presidential library and The Carter Center. Carter’s son and grandson addressed an assembly, recognizing the former president’s post-presidential work focused on international diplomacy and disease prevention. Carter won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his efforts, and the public had the opportunity to pay their respects to him until Tuesday morning before his remains travel to Washington.
In Washington, Carter will lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda before his funeral at the Washington National Cathedral on Thursday, where President Joe Biden will deliver a eulogy. Biden also signed a bill to name a US Postal Service facility in Plains after Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter. The Carter family will then return to Plains for a private funeral at Maranatha Baptist Church, where Carter taught Sunday School for many years. He will be buried in a private graveside service in a plot visible from his home’s front porch, reflecting his deep ties to his rural community.
The funeral observances for Jimmy Carter unite people from different backgrounds to celebrate his life and accomplishments as a president and humanitarian. His dedication to diplomacy, world peace, and disease prevention continues to inspire many, with the Carter Presidential Center serving as a hub for promoting these values. Carter’s legacy lives on through the work of his family and supporters, who carry forward his mission of making the world a better place for all. As the nation mourns the loss of a former president, his impact on history and the hearts of those who knew him remains immeasurable.
