Hearts hurting at Carter Center as people remember Rosalynn Carter
Atlantans living nearby the Carter Presidential Center visited the grounds late Sunday afternoon to pay their respects to Rosalynn Carter.
The wife of former President Jimmy Carter, died Sunday. She was 96.
Raymond Otieno, 46, of Nairobi, Kenya, said he felt a need to walk the serene grounds after hearing of her passing.
He’s in town visiting a friend for the weekend.
“She and her husband were quite inspiring. Such humble people,” Otieno said. “I just had to come here. It’s sad news, at the same time you rejoice that they lived such a fulfilling life together.”
Joel Silverman walked over with his dog, Tito, to lay flowers beneath the bust of the former president.
Silverman said he has regularly walked the grounds of the Carter Center since it opened in the 1980s. In those early days, neighbors would bring their dogs to play in the pond, he said.
“I cried,” Silverman said of news that Rosalynn Carter died. “I don’t think anyone didn’t love Mrs. Carter. She fought for peace and global health. Everyone is grateful to her for a life of service, I think.
Renate Negri, of Brazil, and her three young sons were discussing the Carters’ humanitarian and political work during the car drive to visit the Center’s garden.
“We didn’t know of the news until we walked up,” Negri said. “We were just talking about their history and humanitarian work.”
Randy Osborne came to the Carter Center grounds thinking there would be a larger gathering.
“I think the word is still getting out,” he said. “I’m sad. They just seemed like the sweetest couple in my lifetime. They were so candid about their relationship and politics and what they wanted to do for the world.”
More about Rosalynn Carter
Special section to published by the AJC
- Rosalynn Carter’s journey comes to an end in her beloved Plains
- Timeline: Former first lady Rosalynn Carter over the decades
- Photos: Rosalynn Carter through the years
- Funeral programs: Read the order of service from Atlanta and Plains
- Stories and remembrance: Friends, acquaintances share stories of Rosalynn Carter
- Why the Carter family wore flower leis to the funeral
- READ: Rosalynn and Jimmy: A life together, holding hands, to the end
- The family of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter
- On grief: Losing a life partner and the shattering of a shared identity
About the Author
Adrianne Murchison covers local government in north Fulton County for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
