Devout Bible-reading Christian Rosalynn Carter, the wife of former United States President Jimmy Carter, has died aged 96. She died peacefully at home surrounded by her family, having entered hospice care shortly before she died. She had been diagnosed with dementia earlier this year.
Mrs Carter was married to her husband Jimmy for over 77 years, the pair having met when she was just 18, and married the next year. She leaves behind her four children, 11 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren.
President Carter, who himself is 99 years old, described her as ‘an extension of myself ’, pointing to the tremendous support she was to him throughout his political career, and general life.
Mrs Carter developed the office of First Lady of the United States following her husband’s election as President. She created an office for the First Lady in the east wing of the White House and appointed a staff of 18 to cater to the needs of the office.
Mrs Carter was not only a loyal and devoted wife, mother, political activist, and eventually humanitarian worker, but also a devout Christian. The former President once said in an interview with ABC News: ‘So we also read the Bible every night. We’ve done that for 60 years, probably. So, we try to share what we can.’
Mrs Carter added: ‘It’s hard to go to sleep angry if you’ve read the Bible.’
Following her death, tributes have poured in for Mrs Carter from across the world. The First Baptist Church of the City of Washington D.C., where the Carters worshipped when they were in the White House, posted the following on Facebook:
‘First Baptist joins in mourning the passing of our sister, Rosalynn Carter. Her work on behalf of mental health benefited millions of people. Her partnership with Jimmy Carter was a model of sharing, whether she was at his side in Africa, swinging a hammer on a new home or being first to find the Bible text when he taught Sunday School. God bless you, Rosalynn, and thank you.’
