Family of Former First Lady Says Goodbye in Her Georgia Church

PLAINS, Ga. — Friends and family gathered at a small church in Plains on Wednesday to say goodbye to former first lady Rosalynn Carter, who died Nov. 19 at the age of 96.

The intimate service was held at the Maranatha Baptist Church, where she and her husband, former President Jimmy Carter, worshipped for years, in the town that served as their home as they rose in Georgia politics, arrived at the White House and then traveled the world championing humanitarian causes.

“She was kind, loving and caring,” Josh Carter, a grandson of Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter, said at the service.

“Her family, her neighbors, her friends all knew her to be someone who did not think of herself, but rather others and others’ needs,” said Tony Lowden, the pastor who delivered her eulogy.

The former president, who is 99, attended in a wheelchair. They were married for 77 years.

Earlier memorials for Rosalynn Carter were held in Americus and in Atlanta, but the gathering Wednesday was an invitation-only ceremony, attended by family and church members in the town of 600 where the Carters lived for most of their lives.

This article originally appeared in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/11/29/us/rosalynn-carter-funeral/jimmy-carter-who-is-99-attended-the-funeral-service-in-a-wheelchair">The New York Times</a>.