Condolences have been arriving from across the country and around the world following the death of former first lady Rosalynn Carter. She died at her home in Plains, Georgia, on Sunday at the age of 96.
President Biden and first lady Jill Biden said they remembered her for her hope, warmth and optimism. Carter served as first lady from 1977 to 1981, but she is remembered for devoting many more years afterward to advocating for mental health and for caregivers.
Rahul Bali, who covers politics for WABE in Atlanta, said the media sometimes called her the Steel Magnolia. The nickname reflected a gentle public persona paired with toughness in supporting her husband and the causes she championed.
In a 1984 interview with NPR, Carter said she did not consider herself smarter than Jimmy Carter, but that she loved political life. She said she enjoyed the intrigue, meeting people and learning about the country. "I miss it," she said.
Her advocacy continued after the White House. When the Carter Center was built in Atlanta in the 1980s, she kept speaking about mental health and caregiving and wrote books on the subjects. She said she wanted to fight the stigma around mental health and encourage people to have important conversations. She also started the Mental Health Journalism Fellowship at the Carter Center, a program running since 1996 that aims to produce more accurate and in-depth reporting on mental health.
Her commitment to caregivers dates to her childhood. Her father had cancer and died when she was 13, and as the oldest of four siblings she took on a caregiving role.
Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter were married for 77 years. They grew up in Plains and began dating in 1945. They were often seen together at Braves baseball games, building houses for Habitat for Humanity, and traveling through Africa to fight diseases. Bali said that for many people they were simply "the Carters." Their last public appearance together was in September, when they rode in a parade at the Plains Peanut Festival. In 2015, Jimmy Carter said the best thing he ever did was marry Rosalynn.
The couple had four children, 12 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. One grandchild, Jason Carter, served in the Georgia State Senate and is now a trustee at the Carter Center.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp was among the first to pay his respects. He highlighted her work championing mental health services and promoting the state she loved around the globe. Memorial services are scheduled for Monday through Wednesday of next week in Sumter County and in Atlanta.
