American Presidents, present and past, were there. As were First Ladies from Hillary Clinton to Jill Biden. Vice President Kamala Harris was there too.
Emory University's Glenn Memorial Church in Atlanta was packed with American leaders and celebrities as they paid homage to former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, who died on November 19, aged 96.
Mrs Carter, American newspapers acknowledged after her death, redefined the First Lady's image and role during her husband Jimmy's four years in the White House. She said she was more political than Jimmy was and clearly drew the road map for future First Ladies.
Guests at the memorial service were startled to see former President Jimmy Carter, all of 99 and in hospice care, attend the ceremony for his beloved Rosa to whom he had been married to for 77 years.
Frail and in a wheelchair, unable to speak, but determined to bid farewell to a woman who he loved so much.
IMAGE: Former US President Jimmy Carter departs after the funeral service. Photograph: Alex Brandon/Pool/Reuters
IMAGE: A military honor guard carries Rosalynn Carter's casket from the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum on route to the memorial service at Emory University's Glenn Memorial Church. Photograph: Eric S Lesser/Pool/Reuters
IMAGE: Former First Lady and President Barack Obama's first secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton arrives for the service. Photograph: Brynn Anderson/Pool/Reuters
IMAGE: US Vice President Kamala Harris arrives for the service. Photograph: Brynn Anderson/Pool/Reuters
IMAGE: US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden at the service. Photograph: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters
IMAGE: Former First Ladies Michelle Obama and Melania Trump were seated next to each other at the ceremony.
Melania, who has rarely been seen in public after her husband left the White House on January 20, 2021, was a surprise attendee at the service. Photograph: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters
IMAGE: James 'Chip' Carter walks past the casket of his mother, Rosalynn Carter after he spoke at the service. Photograph: Brynn Anderson/Pool/Reuters
IMAGE: Jason Carter, Rosalynn and Jimmy's grandson, speaks at the service. Photograph: Brynn Anderson/Pool/Reuters
IMAGE: Henry Lewis Carter, Rosalynn and Jimmy's great grandson, reads scripture at the service. Photograph: Brynn Anderson/Pool/Reuters
IMAGE: Errol Carter Kelly, Rosalynn and Jimmy's granddaughter, also reads scripture at the service. Photograph: Brynn Anderson/Pool/Reuters
IMAGE: Luella Bird Reynolds, a great granddaughter, speaks at the ceremony. Photograph: Brynn Anderson/Pool/Reuters
IMAGE: Amy Carter, the Carter's youngest child who grew up in the White House when her father was president, walks past the casket after speaking at the service for her mother. Photograph: Brynn Anderson/Pool/Reuters
IMAGE: Judy Woodruff, who delivered one of the eulogies at the service, pauses at the casket. Photograph: Brynn Anderson/Pool/Reuters
IMAGE: Singer Trisha Yearwood touches the casket after performing Imagine at the service. Photograph: Brynn Anderson/Pool/Reuters
IMAGE: A memorial booklet at the service. Photograph: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters
IMAGE: Singers Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood perform at the service. Photograph: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters
IMAGE: Josh Carter speaks at the funeral for his grandmother at the Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia, November 29, 2023, the day after the service in Atlanta. Photograph: Alex Brandon/Pool/Reuters
IMAGE: Charles Jeffrey Carter walks with a Bible to read a scripture during the funeral service for his great grandmother. Photograph: Alex Brandon/Pool/Reuters
IMAGE: Adeline Kane Chuldenko reads a scripture during the funeral service for her great grandmother. Photograph: Alex Brandon/Pool/Reuters
IMAGE: Pastor Tony Lowden speaks during the funeral service. Photograph: Alex Brandon/Pool/Reuters
IMAGE: Navy Chaplain Judy Malana embraces Amy Carter at the end of the funeral service.
It was a private funeral held in Rosalynn and Jimmy's hometown, Plains. Photograph: Alex Brandon/Pool/Reuters
IMAGE: A joint honor guard participates in the funeral procession in Plains. Jimmy Carter was governor of Georgia before he was elected president in November 1976. Photograph: Elijah Nouvelage/Reuters
IMAGE: Family and invited guests participate in the funeral procession as it passes through downtown Plains. Photograph: Elijah Nouvelage/Reuters
IMAGE: Boy Scouts salute as the funeral procession carrying the casket passes through downtown Plains.
Rosalynn Carter was buried at the Carter Home and Garden, Jimmy Carter National Historical Park. Photograph: Elijah Nouvelage/Reuters
Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff.com
Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com
