President, first lady to attend memorial service for Rosalynn Carter
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will travel to Atlanta next week for a tribute service for former first lady Rosalynn Carter.
Vice President Kamala Harris and the second gentleman will also attend the Tuesday service.
A number of ceremonies are slated to take place next week to celebrate the life of Carter, the wife of former President Jimmy Carter, who died Sunday at the age of 96.
According to the Carter Center, members of the public will be able to pay their respects as the former first lady lies in repose at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum on Monday, while the tribute service will be held for invited guests Tuesday at Glenn Memorial Church at Emory University. A funeral service will take place Wednesday for family and invited friends at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia, according to the schedule shared by the Carter Center.
Former President Jimmy Carter’s attendance “has not been confirmed” for events remembering his wife, The Carter Center told CNN.
Biden, speaking with reporters shortly after Rosalynn Carter’s death, praised the Carter family, saying: “They’re really an incredible family because they brought so much grace to the office.”
While Rosalynn Carter’s most lasting individual legacy will be her efforts to diminish the stigma attached to people with mental illnesses and her fight for parity and access for mental health treatment, she, along with her husband of 77 years, redefined and revolutionized the post-presidency.
Together they founded the Carter Center and traveled to hot spots around the world, including visits to Cuba, Sudan and North Korea, monitoring elections and working to eradicate Guinea worm disease and other neglected tropical diseases.
Shortly before her death, the Carter Center announced that Rosalynn Carter had entered hospice care in the couple’s home in Plains. She had been diagnosed with dementia in May. Former President Jimmy Carter began home hospice care in February, following a series of hospital stays.
CNN’s Shawn Nottingham contributed to this report.