Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter never tried to hide the effects of growing old
Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter never tried to hide the effects of growing old
By Martha Ross, Columnist
East Bay Times/Bay Area News Group
November 30, 2023
There’s no downplaying the fact that Jimmy Carter didn’t look like the man that Americans had long come to know when he attended two memorial services this week for his wife, Rosalynn Carter, who died Nov. 19 at age 96. ... At Tuesday’s service in Atlanta, his face was pale, his mouth hung open and he did not make eye contact with many mourners, the New York Times reported. ... “He’s coming to the end, and he’s very, very physically diminished,” his grandson, Jason Carter, told the New York Times in an interview before the service at the Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church at Emory University. “But I think he was proud and happy that he was there for her till the very end, and he wasn’t going to miss this for anything.” ... Jordan said the couple didn’t lose their forthrightness when it came to aging. Family members said the Carters felt no need to hide the effects of growing old. “While many famous people guard their image and hide frailty, the Carters did not,” [Washington Post reporter Mary] Jordan also wrote. ... Jordan reported last week that Jimmy Carter remains mentally aware and at times is remarkably sharp, but he was unable to speak at Tuesday’s service. Some family members had expressed concern about Carter traveling 164 miles from his home in Plains to attend Tuesday’s tribute service in Atlanta, the New York Times said. His decision to make such a journey in his condition “was, to some, shocking,” the New York Times said. But his family also recognized the importance of his presence, and he had an honored place in the front row of the church. ... Tuesday’s service was televised, so many Americans got their first glimpse of Carter in some time, at least since he entered hospice. But it’s not likely that the famously stubborn and tenacious former president would be concerned if some people were stunned by how visibly frail he has become. He wanted to be there for Rosalynn, as family and friends said.