On Friday, her family made the announcement that she had entered hospice care at their home, joining her 99-year-old husband in end-of-life treatment in the Plains one-story residence they had shared since before Jimmy Carter was elected a Georgia state senator in 1962.

Rosalynn Carter, the wife of the 39th president, Jimmy Carter, has passed away at the couple’s Georgia home at the age of 96.

Carter, who became a prominent advocate for mental health during and after her husband’s presidency, was diagnosed with dementia in May.

Born Eleanor Rosalynn Smith in August 1927 in Plains, a small rural town of fewer than 600 people where her husband was also born and raised, she was a steadfast supporter throughout his political career, both in the White House and during his years as a respected international diplomat after his single term in office ended in 1981. However, she also established her own identity as a mental health advocate and social justice activist.

In 1987, she founded the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers and remained active in the organization throughout her later years.

The Carter Center, a human rights non-profit founded by the couple, acknowledged her work in its statement earlier this year when announcing her dementia diagnosis.

“Mrs. Carter has been the nation’s leading mental health advocate for much of her life. We recognize, as she did more than half a century ago, that stigma is often a barrier that keeps individuals and their families from seeking and getting much-needed support,” it said.

“We hope sharing our family’s news will increase important conversations at kitchen tables and in doctor’s offices around the country.”

Rosalynn Carter and her husband also supported Habitat for Humanity, raising awareness and funds for the Carter Work Project named after them, and frequently participating in hands-on construction projects themselves.

One of their last public appearances was at the Plains Peanut Festival in September, shortly before Jimmy Carter’s 99th birthday when they rode together in the parade.

The couple’s families were already acquainted when they met while Jimmy Carter was at the US Naval Academy in Maryland during World War II. They married in 1946 and managed the Carter family’s peanut farm together until his political career took off.

She wore the same gown to Carter’s 1977 presidential inauguration as she had when he was elected Governor of Georgia in 1970.

The couple, who celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary in 2021, had four children: Jack, Chip, James, and Amy. While their sons were adults by the time Carter was elected president, nine-year-old Amy became one of the most famous child residents of the White House, attracting massive media attention.

her family made the announcement that she had entered hospice care at their home, joining her 99-year-old husband in end-of-life treatment in the Plains one-story residence they had shared since before Jimmy Carter was elected a Georgia state senator in 1962.

Rosalynn Carter, the wife of the 39th president, Jimmy Carter, has passed away at the couple’s Georgia home at the age of 96.