Jimmy Carter’s final journey begins in Georgia

Six days of funeral observances for former President Jimmy Carter began Saturday in Georgia, where he died on 29 December at 100.

The proceedings began when his family arrived at Phoebe Sumter Medical Center in Americus.

Former Secret Service agents who protected Carter served as pallbearers, walking alongside the hearse as it exited the campus on its way to Plains.

He lived in and around the town for more than 80 of his 100 years. It still has fewer than 700 people, not much more than when he was born on 1 October 1924.

AP reported that the motorcade moved through downtown Plains, which spans just a few blocks, passing near the girlhood home of First Lady Rosalynn Smith Carter, who died in November 2023 at 96.

It then passed by the Methodist church where the Carters married in 1946 and the home where they lived and died.

39 Bells for Carter: A final tribute at his boyhood home

The procession stopped at Carter’s family farm and boyhood home in Archery, just outside the town.

The farm now is part of the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park. The National Park Service rang the old farm bell 39 times to honour the 39th president.

From Archery, the military-run motorcade headed north to Atlanta and stopped outside the Georgia capitol, where he served as a state senator from 1963 to 1967 and governor from 1971 to 1975.

The motorcade then proceeded to the Carter Presidential Center, which includes Carter’s presidential library and The Carter Center, established by the former president and first lady in 1982.

According to AFP, following a service later Saturday in Atlanta, the former president will lie here in repose for mourners to pay their respects around the clock.

Final farewell: Former president to lie in state ahead of funeral

Carter will then be taken to Washington on Tuesday, where he will lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda until his funeral at the Washington National Cathedral.

On Thursday, declared a National Day of Mourning by President Joe Biden, his funeral will take place at Washington National Cathedral, USA Today reported.

After the funeral, Carter and his family will return to Georgia to Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains for a private funeral service and to his private residence for a private burial.

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