Rosalynn Carter to be laid to rest at family home after private funeral

A service was held at Maranatha Baptist Church in her hometown of Plains.

November 29, 2023, 12:17 PM

Rosalynn Carter, who transformed the role of first lady as a trusted political partner to former President Jimmy Carter and carved out her own humanitarian legacy, will be buried on Wednesday at her home in Georgia.

Her funeral, a little more than a week after her death at age 96, was held at Maranatha Baptist Church, where Jimmy Carter taught Sunday school for decades, in her hometown of Plains.

The private service was attended by family members and invited friends.

Jimmy Carter, who is 99 years old and has been in hospice for nearly a year, was at the church to say goodbye to his wife of 77 years.

PHOTO: Former President Jimmy Carter departs after the funeral service for former first lady Rosalynn Carter at Maranatha Baptist Church, in Plains, Georgia, on November 29, 2023.
Former President Jimmy Carter departs after the funeral service for former first lady Rosalynn Carter at Maranatha Baptist Church, in Plains, Georgia, on November 29, 2023.
Alex Brandon/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
PHOTO: A guest holds the funeral program before the funeral service for former first lady Rosalynn Carter at Maranatha Baptist Church on November 29, 2023, in Plains, Georgia.
A guest holds the funeral program before the funeral service for former first lady Rosalynn Carter at Maranatha Baptist Church on November 29, 2023, in Plains, Georgia.
Alex Brandon/Getty Images

Rosalynn Carter's final resting place will be the family's residence in Plains, where Jimmy Carter also plans to be buried.

The public can bid the late first lady a final farewell as the hearse carrying her casket departs the church and makes its way through downtown Plains later on Wednesday. People began gathering in town before dawn to be able to pay their final respects to Carter, and some carried with them signs of thanks.

PHOTO: A funeral procession with family members of former first lady Rosalynn Carter passes through Plains, GA, after a private funeral service at Maranatha Baptist Church on November 29, 2023 in Plains, Georgia.
A funeral procession with family members of former first lady Rosalynn Carter passes through Plains, GA, after a private funeral service at Maranatha Baptist Church on November 29, 2023 in Plains, Georgia.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
PHOTO: An Armed Forces body bearer team carries the casket after the funeral service for former first lady Rosalynn Carter at Maranatha Baptist Church, Nov. 29, 2023, in Plains, Ga.
An Armed Forces body bearer team carries the casket after the funeral service for former first lady Rosalynn Carter at Maranatha Baptist Church, Nov. 29, 2023, in Plains, Ga.
John Bazemore/AP

Memorial events for Rosalynn Carter, who died on Nov. 19, spanned Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. A wreath-laying ceremony was held at Georgia Southwestern State University, her alma mater, and she laid in repose at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library before a public tribute service at Emory University attended by the Bidens, former first ladies and other political leaders.

Jimmy Carter made a rare public appearance to pay tribute to his wife at Tuesday's memorial service. He didn’t speak, but a letter he wrote 75 years ago to Rosalynn Carter was tearfully read aloud by their daughter, Amy Carter.

The couple previously spoke about being buried together at their residence, near the edge of a pond on the property where they fished together.

“We’re going to be buried right there, on that little hill,” Jimmy Carter told The Washington Post back in 2018.

PHOTO: An honor guard from the Georgia State Patrol stand at the casket before the funeral service for former first lady Rosalynn Carter at Maranatha Baptist Church on November 29, 2023, in Plains, Georgia.
An honor guard from the Georgia State Patrol stand at the casket before the funeral service for former first lady Rosalynn Carter at Maranatha Baptist Church on November 29, 2023, in Plains, Georgia.
Alex Brandon/Getty Images
PHOTO: Jeff Carter cries as he departs a funeral service for former US First Lady Rosalynn Carter, at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia, on November 29, 2023.
Jeff Carter cries as he departs a funeral service for former US First Lady Rosalynn Carter, at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia, on November 29, 2023.
Alex Brandon/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Jimmy Carter was with his wife when she died peacefully at home, the family has said.

"Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished," the former president said in a statement announcing her death. "She gave me wise guidance and encouragement when I needed it. As long as Rosalynn was in the world, I always knew somebody loved and supported me."

The two co-founded The Carter Center, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing peace and eradicating diseases around the world, and worked with Habitat for Humanity. Rosalynn Carter was also a passionate mental health advocate.

She is survived by her husband, their four children, 11 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.

-ABC News' Janice McDonald contributed to this report.