Current and former U.S. presidents and first ladies gathered on Tuesday, Nov. 28, for a tribute service for late first lady Rosalynn Carter, including her husband of 77 years, former President Jimmy Carter.
Every living first Lady — including Dr Jill Biden, Melania Trump, Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Laura Bush — attended, along with President Joe Biden, former President Bill Clinton, Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff.
The invitation-only service was held at Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church on the campus of Emory University.
Jimmy Carter at the ceremony
Also present at the event were family members and some of Rosalynn’s closest friends, including Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, who were asked to sing a duet of John Lennon’s “Imagine.”
Tuesday’s ceremony is part of a series of private and public events in Georgia, which culminate with the funeral service and interment at the Carter family home in Plains.
On Monday, Nov. 27, ceremonies began with a wreath-laying at Georgia Southwestern State University’s Rosalynn Carter Health and Human Sciences Complex.
The former first lady was taken to the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, where members of the public were invited to pay respects while she lay in repose.
On Tuesday, the Carter motorcade moved to Emory University’s Glenn Memorial Church for the tribute service.
On Wednesday, a formal funeral service for family and friends will take place at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains.
Rosalynn died surrounded by family on Sunday afternoon, Nov. 19, two days after she entered hospice care following a dementia diagnosis in May. She was 96.
She was married to Jimmy, the 39th president of the United States, and served as the nation’s first lady during his White House tenure from 1977 to 1981. She is survived by their four children — Jack, Chip, Jeff, and Amy — and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Jimmy, who terminated medical intervention in February amid his own health challenges at the age of 99, remains in hospice care.
