Faith, service and duty at center of memorial for Rosalynn Carter

Amna Nawaz:

A series of private and public memorials are being held for former first lady Rosalynn Carter this week. Today, she was honored in Atlanta, Georgia.

As in her life, faith, service and duty were at the center of Rosalynn Carter's memorial, as family, friends and dignitaries filled Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church to pay their respects to Mrs. Carter, who died in her Plains, Georgia, home on November 19 at the age of 96.

Rev. Mark Westmoreland, Pastor, Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church:

Today, let us affirm together the faith Rosalynn lived so beautifully. Death, though real, does not have the last word.

Amna Nawaz:

Her husband, Jimmy Carter, now 99, made his first public appearance since September, joined by fellow former President Clinton and President Biden, and a rare convening, as every living first lady gathered in Atlanta to remember one of their own.

Some of Mrs. Carter's favorite hymns peppered the service. And Bible verses wove her beliefs throughout.

Luella Bird Reynolds, Great-Granddaughter of Rosalynn Carter: Serve one another humbly in love, for the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command, love your neighbor as yourself.

Rev. Tony Lowden, Pastor, Maranatha Baptist Church:

When great souls die, the air…

Amna Nawaz:

Tony Lowden has been the Carters' personal pastor.

Rev. Tony Lowden:

We breathe briefly. Our eyes are filled with hurtful clarity. And our memories suddenly sharpens, examines the words unsaid and promises of walks never taken.

Amna Nawaz:

Speakers recalled a dedicated servant, first lady, global humanitarian, and fierce advocate for mental health and social justice.

Kathryn Cade was a longtime aide and friend of Mrs. Carter's. She serves as vice chair of the Carter Center's board of trustees.

Kathryn Cade, Vice Chair, The Carter Center:

What a remarkable woman she was, wife, mother, business manager, political strategist, diplomat, advocate, author. Yet what I remember most about her was her tireless dedication to taking care of others.

Amna Nawaz:

The "NewsHour"'s Judy Woodruff covered the Carters and reflected on their decades-long friendship.

Judy Woodruff:

What we witnessed was a first lady who saw her role as going well beyond the essential warm and welcoming host to being a close and trusted, yes, adviser,in essence, an extension of the president himself, a first lady who understood the weight of her words and especially her actions.

Without Rosalynn Carter, I don't believe there would have been a President Carter.

Amna Nawaz:

And daughter Amy shared a letter her father wrote to Rosalynn 75 years ago while serving in the Navy.

Amy Lynn Carter, Daughter of Rosalynn Carter: "While I'm away, I try to convince myself that you really are not, you could not be as sweet and beautiful as I remember. But when I see you, I fall in love with you all over again. Does that seem strange to you? It doesn't to me. Goodbye, darling. Until tomorrow, Jimmy."

Amna Nawaz:

The Carters 'grandson and Georgia politician Jason Carter remembered his late grandmother.

Jason Carter, Grandson of Rosalynn Carter: My grandmother doesn't need a eulogy. Her life was a sermon. And it was a mighty testament to the power of faith and to the power of a deep and determined love.

Amna Nawaz:

Tomorrow, the Carter family will hold a private funeral at their home church in Plains. Rosalynn Carter's final resting place will be a plot within sight of the Carters' home porch.

And you can watch the former first lady's full memorial service on our Web site. That's PBS.org/NewsHour.