President Jimmy Carter’s Final Journey Begins in plains, Georgia
The nation bid farewell to former President Jimmy Carter on Saturday, as a solemn procession carrying his flag-draped coffin began in Americus, Georgia.The journey, a poignant tribute to the 39th president’s life, started at the Phoebe Sumter Medical Center, where former Secret Service agents served as pallbearers, their hands on their hearts as a mournful train whistle echoed through the air.
The Carter family, including his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, accompanied the hearse on its route through Plains, the former president’s beloved hometown. The procession passed his boyhood home, a symbolic moment marking the end of a remarkable life.
Along the route, residents of Plains lined the streets, some carrying flowers or wearing commemorative pins. Twelve-year-old Will Porter Shelbrock, born long after Carter left office in 1981, explained, “We want to pay our respects. He was ahead of his time on what he tried to do and tried to accomplish.”
Shelbrock’s grandmother, susan Cone, 66, shared that the trip from Gainesville, Florida, was Carter’s idea.She added, “He admired Mr.Carter for his humanitarian work, building houses, waging peace, and even installing solar panels on the White House.” This sentiment reflects the widespread respect for Carter’s legacy beyond his presidency.
Carter, who passed away on December 29th at the age of 100 at his home in Plains, and his late wife Rosalynn, who died in November 2023, were deeply rooted in their hometown. Their lives, aside from his naval career and time as Georgia governor and president, were largely spent in and around Plains.
the procession included a planned stop at Carter’s boyhood home, where the National Park Service will ring the old farm bell 39 times – a fitting tribute to the 39th president. From there, the journey continues to Atlanta for a moment of silence at the Georgia Capitol and a ceremony at the carter Presidential Centre.
On Tuesday, Carter’s remains will be transported to Washington, D.C., to lie in state at the U.S. Capitol. A state funeral will be held Thursday at 10 a.m. at the Washington National Cathedral, followed by a private burial service at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, where he will be laid to rest beside Rosalynn Carter.
