Coloradans helped by former President Jimmy Carter react to his passing
Mario Mora of Denver's Globeville neighborhood was emotional when he heard the news that former President Jimmy Carter died Sunday.
"Wow, it's just kind of hard for me," Mora said as he held back tears. "I'm going to go grab my Bible that he gave us and say some prayers for him."
Mora and his wife Phyllis were touched personally by the kindness and generosity of Carter when the former president came to Denver in 2013 and worked with Habitat for Humanity to build 26 townhomes in Globeville. On that trip, Carter stopped by The Moras' house and gave them a special gift.
"They did my driveway. They re-sided my garage. New gutters, new garage door, driveway and a back porch," he recalled.
He says over time, the ramp that Carter had built for him has been a great help.
"We do use it. My wife- she is semi -- not really bad -- handicapped, but hey, it helped. And we do have a few friends that are handicapped and when they do come over, they just love it," Mario said.
Carter also gave Mario a Bible on that trip and took plenty of pictures with the couple. For Mario, it was one of the highlights of his life.
"People ask me about it, and I tell them, 'I just enjoyed it and we met him. So, it was a nice treat for me,'" he said.
Laura Willetto, a spokesperson for Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver, said while the community mourns Carter's passing, they're also celebrating his life and contributions.
"Former President Carter and his wife Roslyn Carter were some of the most tireless advocates for Habitat for Humanity's mission, here in the U.S. and around the world," she told CBS News Colorado on Sunday. "Former President Carter was an incredible humanitarian. He was someone who cared deeply about social justice, about affordable housing, and that really is demonstrated in his decades of volunteerism through Habitat for Humanity and other charities as well."
Habitat staff who worked with Carter on that 2013 trip described him as "humble, as compassionate, someone who would look you in the eye and remember you," Willetto said. "He just had that warmth and generosity about him. Not to mention, swinging a hammer well into his 90s. What an incredible demonstration of living out one's values and really caring for your neighbor and caring for your fellow man."
In addition to his volunteer work, Carter was in Colorado several times over the years to raise money for handicapped skiers, the Carter Center, and other causes.
He also enjoyed skiing in Crested Butte with his wife and, in 1978, commemorated "Sun Day" at the Solar Energy Research Institute -- now part of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory -- in Golden.
"We are fortunate to have had as many years with President Carter as we did. As President, he helped us move on from an era of American history punctuated by the Watergate scandal with his positivity, grace, and calm," Shad Murib, chair of the Colorado Democratic Party, said, in part, in a statement on Sunday.
"In the years following his presidency, he set a high bar for the service we should expect of our former presidents alongside his beloved wife and incredible public servant, First Lady Rosalynn Carter," Murib continued. "From his community-changing work building homes with The Carter Work Project and Habitat for Humanity, to his dedication to peace and courage in calling out injustice at home and across the world, President Carter exemplified the best of us."
"Jimmy Carter was first and foremost a good man, in the purest sense of the words. A champion of human rights. A trailblazer for affordable housing. A veteran. And a President who never forgot his roots as a peanut farmer," Colorado Democratic Sen. John Hickenlooper said in a statement. "As good as it gets. There will never be another Jimmy Carter. Our hearts are with his loved ones today."
And as sad as Mario Mora is that Carter is gone, he's glad that the former president was able to give so much to this nation for so long.
"My prayers with the family. May he rest in peace," Mario Mora said.
