Rosalynn Carter death: Biden orders flags to be flown at half-staff

President Joe Biden has ordered all US flags to be flown at half-staff in honour of Rosalynn Carter, who died on Sunday.

“ Throughout her life as First Lady of Georgia and First Lady of the United States, Rosalynn Carter exemplified hope, warmth, and a steadfast commitment to doing all she could to address many of our society’s greatest needs,” President Biden wrote.

“She was a champion for equal rights and opportunities for women and girls; an advocate for mental health and wellness for all; and a supporter of the often unseen and uncompensated caregivers of our children, aging loved ones, and people with disabilities. Above all, the deep love shared between Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter is the definition of partnership, and their humble leadership is the definition of patriotism,” he added.

Carter’s funeral will take place next Wednesday.

Throughout her lifetime, Rosalynn Carter worked to destigmatize mental health, advocate for better care for the elderly, build housing and preserve butterflies.

As a fan of butterflies from a young age, Carter spent the latter half of her lifetime working to preserve butterfly habitats in her hometown of Plains, Georgia.

In 2013, Carter sought to create a safe place for Monarch butterflies to pollinate, after seeing butterfly habitats dwindle due to natural disasters, human interference and more. She created the Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trail which hosts plants for Monarchs and other butterflies to use to grow.

The trail continued to grow with locations across the US, Canada, Europe and Japan.

The five living First Ladies, including the current First Lady Jill Biden, sent tributes to Rosalynn Carter following her death on Sunday.

Hillary Clinton called Carter a “champion of human dignity everywhere” and highlighted her work in mental health advocacy and human health as part of that.

Laura Bush celebrated Carter’s loyalty and support for her husband while in office as well as her legacy in destigmatising mental health.

Michelle Obama thanked Carter for her advice and support when she was a First Lady and recognised her work to advance health for elderly people as well as her work building houses with Habitat for Humanity.

Melania Trump sent her condolences to the Carter family and remembered her legacy.

Jill Biden remembered Carter for paving her own pathway and inspiring the US in her journey.

Jimmy Carter remains a home hospice patient and there are “no updates” on the former president’s health, according to a spokesperson for the Carter Center.

The spokesperson, Matthew De Galan, addressed Mr Carter’s health the day after former first lady Rosalynn Carter died at the family home in Plains, Georgia, on Sunday.

Ms Carter’s death came just days after it was announced that the 96-year-old had also entered home hospice. She had been diagnosed with dementia in May.

The Carter Center announced that tributes to Rosalynn Carter will begin on Monday, November 27 and her funeral will take place on Wednesday, November 29.

Carter, who died at age 96 on Sunday, was the First Lady to one-term President Jimmy Carter.

Next Monday, Carter will lie in response at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library in Museum in Atlanta, Georgia. Members of the public are invited to pay their respects there.

On Tuesday, there will be a tribute service at Glenn Memorial Church at Emory University featuring invited guests only.

Then on Wednesday, a funeral procession will begin at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains before Carter is taken to the Carter family residence for a private burial.

Members of the public are welcome to view the motorcade route from the church to downtown Plains.

Former president Jimmy Carter and first lady Rosalynn Carter made a rare public appearance – and their last together before her death – at a peanut festival in September in his hometown of Plains, Georgia.

The pair were driven in the annual festival’s parade in a black SUV.

“The Carters made the day for the thousands of attendees at the Plains Peanut Festival,” Jill Stuckey of the National Park Service’s Jimmy Carter National Historic Site in Plains told the AJC. “What a wonderful surprise for everyone.”

Read The Independent’s report on the outing at the time:

In its obituary for Rosalynn Carter, the AP writes:

“The Washington chattering class, often unsure what to make of outsiders, dubbed Rosalynn Carter the “Steel Magnolia” when she arrived as first lady.

“A devout Baptist and mother of four, she was diminutive and outwardly shy, with a soft smile and softer Southern accent. That was the “magnolia.” She also was a force behind Jimmy Carter’s rise from peanut farmer to winner of the 1976 presidential election. That was the “steel.”

“Yet that obvious, even trite moniker almost certainly undersold her role and impact across the Carters’ early life, their one White House term and their four decades afterward as global humanitarians advocating peace, democracy and the eradication of disease.

“Through more than 77 years of marriage, until her death Sunday at the age of 96, Rosalynn Carter was business and political partner, best friend and closest confidant to the 39th president.”