Jimmy Carter, former President of the United States, passed away at the age of 100 on Sunday, December 29th, at his home in Plains, Georgia.
Carter was the 39th President of the United States, and he served from 1977 to 1981. Carter was in fact the longest living President. Before Carter became President he was a peanut farmer and a naval officer. Also, he served as the governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975.
One of Carter’s biggest accomplishments was helping Egypt and Israel make peace with the Camp David Accords in 1978. After his Presidency Carter and his wife, Rosalynn Carter founded the Carter Center, its mission was to promote peace, improve global health, and advance human rights worldwide. In 2002, Jimmy Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for advancing peace and democracy.
Carter’s Funeral will be open for 6 days, from Saturday, January 4, to Thursday, January 9. Supporters and ordinary citizens will be able to come and attend the funeral events that are taking place all over the country, celebrating Carter’s life from his rural farm in Georgia to his time in Washington D.C.
Starting on Saturday at 10:15 a.m., the Carter family will arrive at the Phoebe Sumter Medical Center in Americus, Georgia, where the Secret Service will escort Carter’s body into a hearse. The motorcade will pass through Plains, stopping at his childhood farm. While at his farm, the National Park Service will toll the farm bell 39 times, symbolizing his service as the 39th President. The motorcade will then proceed to Atlanta, arriving at 3 p.m. The motorcade will stop at the Georgia State Capitol, where Carter served as governor, for a moment of silence in his honor. The private service will continue at the Carter Center. Beginning at 7 p.m. the public will be able to pay their respects at the Carter Center.
The public visitation at the Carter Center will end on Tuesday, January 7th at 6 a.m. At 9:30 a.m., there will be a ceremony for his final departure from the Carter Center. After, his family will accompany his body to Washington D.C. They will begin by flying to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. Then they will go to the U.S. Navy Memorial to honor Carter’s service in the military. After, Carter’s body will be moved to the US Capitol by horse-drawn military wagon, where he will lie in state. There will be a service there at 3 p.m., for lawmakers to honor him. The public will be able to visit him until Thursday morning.
Early Thursday morning, Carter’s body will leave the Capitol. They will head to the Washington National Cathedral, where his national funeral service will happen at 10 a.m. The funeral should end around 11:15, and after that, he will be escorted by his family back to Plains, Georgia. At 3:45, a private service will be held at Maranatha Baptist Church, where Carter used to teach Sunday School. Then the motorcade will take Carter home where the Navy will conduct a ceremonial flyover. Finally, Carter will be buried alongside his wife Rosalynn, where there will be a private ceremony.