Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter dies in the United States
Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter dies in the United States (Photo: twitter.com/toddstarnes)
Former First Lady of the United States Rosalynn Carter died at 96, according to The Business Insider.
After a brief stay in the hospital, announced on November 17, Carter passed away at home surrounded by friends, family, and her husband, former President Jimmy Carter.
Earlier this year, the Carter Center announced that Rosalynn Carter had been diagnosed with dementia.
The agency notes that Carter lived a long and prosperous life with her husband, whom she had known almost all her life.
Photo: (flickr.com)
Longest marriage among presidential couples
She first met Jimmy Carter when she was still a child, and they married in 1946 in their hometown of Plains, Georgia.
They lived in marriage for 77 years - the longest marriage among presidential couples.
"The best thing I ever did was marry Rosalynn. That's the pinnacle of my life," said 39th U.S. President Jimmy Carter in an interview with the Carter Center in 2015.
Carter helped her husband in business and politics
Rosalynn Carter played an essential role in her husband's success in business and politics - he often turned to her for advice.
When Jimmy Carter was first elected governor of Georgia, Rosalynn Carter focused on helping the state's residents with mental health issues through the Governor's Commission to Improve Services for People with Mental and Emotional Disabilities.
Photo: (flickr.com)
Later, when Jimmy Carter announced his candidacy for U.S. president, he said that his wife was "much more political" than he was, and the White House website notes that she helped her husband with her firm belief in his abilities.
As the First Lady, she again focused on mental health advocacy. As the honorary chair of the President's Commission on Mental Health, she led a group working to implement policy changes for people with mental health issues.
Life after the White House
After Jimmy Carter lost his re-election campaign, he and Rosalynn returned to Georgia and founded the Carter Center in Atlanta in 1982.
Since then, the Carter Center has been monitoring elections in support of democracy worldwide and has nearly eradicated Guinea worm disease.
In the mid-1980s, the couple began working with Habitat for Humanity, where they, together with a group, built and renovated over 4,300 homes.
Despite her political duties, she remained focused on her family. She and Jimmy Carter have four children and 22 grandchildren.
Photo: Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter (flickr.com/usnavy)
Jimmy Carter, who is now 99 years old and is the longest-living U.S. president, has been in hospice care since February. He enjoys peanut butter ice cream, and he is "at ease with death."
The couple's grandson, Jason Carter, recently said in an interview that his grandmother and grandfather happily spent their "last chapter" together at home, celebrating their longevity, family, and love in the same tiny Georgia town where they were both born.
"That word love is really the one that defines certainly their personal relationship, but also the way they approach this world," said Jason Carter, who now chairs the Carter Center's board.
