Memorial events for Rosalynn Carter are being held at several locations in south Georgia and Atlanta over three days.
The former first lady died last Sunday at the age of 96 in Plains. She is survived by her husband, former President Jimmy Carter, their four children, and more than two dozen grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
HOW TO WATCH: The AJC will carry live video from key public events for Rosalynn Carter, in addition to live updates on ajc.com and the AJC app.
Here is an overview of events, including details about how the public can participate.
Monday
The Carter family motorcade will depart from downtown Plains around 10 a.m. and arrive at Phoebe Sumter Medical Center in nearby Americus in south Georgia. Rosalynn Carter’s remains will be transferred to a hearse, and the motorcade will then travel to nearby Georgia Southwestern State University, where wreaths will be laid at 11 a.m.
The motorcade will arrive around 2:30 p.m. at the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta and an arrival ceremony will be held. The public will be invited to pay respects in person from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. as the former first lady lies in repose.
Tuesday
A departure ceremony will be held at 11:30 a.m. at the Carter Presidential Center, before the motorcade travels to Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church at Emory University in Atlanta. A tribute service will be held at the church on the Emory campus from 1 p.m. until 2:30 p.m. with invited guests, including President Joe Biden.
About Emory University and its connections to the Carter family
Presidents and first ladies, past to present, will honor Rosalynn Carter
Wednesday
The funeral procession will arrive around 10:55 a.m. at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, the Carters’ rural hometown. A service will be held for family and invited friends. The motorcade will depart around 12:30 p.m. for a private burial at the Carter family residence.
Here is more information from the Carter Center, the Atlanta-based nonprofit founded by the former first couple.
How the public can participate
Many of the remembrance services will not be open to the public. Those events will be broadcast live on television and online, including at ajc.com.
People can view in person the wreath-laying ceremony at Georgia Southwestern State University on Monday morning from a designated area. For the the public viewing at the Carter Presidential Center on Monday night, there will be parking and shuttle services at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, about two miles west of the center.
Mourners also can line the Carter family motorcade route at several points in Americus, Atlanta and Plains on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Here are details for Monday. Phoebe Sumter has shared viewing details here. Other specific locations will be shared here by the Carter Center.
In lieu of flowers, Rosalynn Carter requested that donations be made to the Carter Center Mental Health Program or the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers. In Atlanta, those who want to give flowers can lay them in front of the large granite-and-steel sign at the main entrance to the Carter Presidential Center. In Plains, flowers can be left near the Jimmy Carter Monument in the center of town.
Condolence books can be signed at Georgia Southwestern State University in Americus, the welcome center and high school in Plains, and the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta.
Here is a visitation guide from the Carter Center.
Here is an Atlanta Journal-Constitution interactive guide to Plains, the town where Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter were born, and where they lived together in the same house since 1961, save their years in the Governor’s Mansion in Atlanta and the White House.
Here is an AJC guide to the Carter Presidential Center in downtown Atlanta, just east of the city center. The center is home to the Carter Center and the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum.
Who is attending
In addition to Carter family members, many dignitaries are expected to pay respects, including President Biden and his wife Jill, who will attend the Emory service in Atlanta on Tuesday afternoon.
As of late Sunday afternoon, the Carter Center would not confirm if Jimmy Carter will be attending any events in person. The former president, who turned 99 in October, has been in home hospice in Plains since February.
The AJC will update readers about attendees and speakers as we get more details.
How to follow AJC coverage
The AJC will be providing continued special coverage of Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter for our readers in the coming days on ajc.com and in our AJC print and ePaper editions.
To read AJC stories about Rosalynn Carter, click here.
To read AJC stories about Jimmy Carter, click here.
For more details on how to follow the AJC’s coverage of Rosalynn Carter memorial events, click here.
About the Author
