Bidens to attend Rosalynn Carter tribute service in Georgia
President Biden and first lady Jill Biden will travel to Georgia on Tuesday for a tribute service for former first lady Rosalynn Carter, who died Sunday at the age of 96, the White House said Wednesday.
According to the Carter Center, the service will be at Glenn Memorial Church at Emory University in Atlanta with invited guests. Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff will also attend.
Carter's funeral service will be held Wednesday at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia, according to the Carter Center. There will be a private interment at the Carter family residence.
On Monday, there will be a repose service in the lobby of the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta. Beginning at 6 p.m. EST, members of the public can pay their respects while Carter lies in repose.
The Bidens paid tribute to Carter in a statement on Sunday, saying she "walked her own path, inspiring a nation and the world along the way." Mr. Biden ordered U.S. flags across the country to be flown at half-staff in honor of Carter.
Former President Jimmy Carter has been in hospice care since February, but his son James Carter III told The Washington Post on Wednesday that the former president hopes to be at his wife's funeral. Since none of his clothes fit, he is having a new suit made, James Carter III said. The Carters married in 1946, making them the longest-married presidential couple.
Mr. Biden said earlier this year that Jimmy Carter asked him to deliver the eulogy at his funeral.
In May 2021, the Bidens visited the Carters in Plains. At the time, Mr. Biden said they "talked about the old days." Mr. Biden served in the U.S. Senate during Carter's presidency from 1977 to 1981.
Rosalynn Carter had been diagnosed with dementia earlier this year, and she entered hospice care last week. After the Carters' time at the White House, they embarked on humanitarian work, including building houses for Habitat for Humanity and building the Carter Center, which promotes peace and conflict resolution.
The Carters have four children and 22 grandchildren and great-grandchildren.