With the recent passing of former President Jimmy Carter (October 1, 1924 – December 29, 2024) and his beloved wife Rosalynn Carter (who passed away just over a year before him on 19 November 2023 at the age of 96), America lost not just two inspiring political figures, but powerful symbols of dedication, service, and the profound importance of home and family.
In this episode, we explore President Jimmy Carter’s legacy of compassionate care and service. Discover how his 77-year marriage, dedication to home, and Rosalynn’s mental health advocacy and their shared commitment to family and service reflect Affordable Senior Care’s values in providing dignified in-home care across the San Francisco Bay Area. Learn about the national day of mourning and state funeral plans for this remarkable humanitarian leader.
LISTEN TIME: 12 minutes.
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Because everyone deserves to live happily and age gracefully at home, with just the right amount of support.
Their remarkable 77-year marriage and shared commitment to public service offer valuable lessons about caregiving, aging with dignity, and the significance of maintaining strong connections to home and community.
These values resonate deeply with our mission at Affordable Senior Care (ASC) – a family-owned non-medical in home caregiver agency in San Jose, located in the Silicon Valley region of the San Francisco Bay Area.
In this article we will explore the inspirational contributions made by the Carters, and how their caring and compassionate service to others reflects the core values of ASC.
The Carters’ inspiring life story together is intrinsically tied to their modest family home at 209 Woodland Drive, in Plains, Georgia – a two-bedroom ranch house that was valued at just $167,000 in 2021 – where they raised their four children (John William “Jack”, James Earl “Chip” III, Donnel Jeffrey “Jeff”, and Amy Lynn) and lived for most of their married life of nearly eight decades.
The Carters’ commitment to family was perhaps most visible during their White House years, where Rosalynn Carter created a true family home within the executive mansion.
Rather than letting protocol dictate family separation, she ensured that their daughter Amy and sons Chip and Jeff, along with their families, lived with them in the White House. Their eldest son Jack and his family were frequent visitors, making the executive mansion a hub of multigenerational family life.
When questioned about having multiple family members living in the White House, Rosalynn was characteristically practical and family-focused, noting that since the public wasn’t financing their residence, she prioritized keeping the family together.
This dedication to maintaining strong family bonds, even amid the pressures of presidential life, exemplified the values of home, family unity, and intergenerational support that we champion at Affordable Senior Care.
Despite Jimmy Carter’s rise from his extremely humble beginnings as a peanut farmer in the South to the top of American politics and society – serving as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981 – the down-to-earth couple chose to return to their humble Georgia dwelling after leaving the grandeur of the White House, demonstrating their deep connection to home and community.
This choice reflects a fundamental truth we see every day in our work offering in-home caregiving services for seniors and those living with disability: home is more than just a physical space; it’s where our most meaningful experiences, memories and connections reside.
Rosalynn Carter, in particular, became a powerful advocate for vulnerable people and their caregivers and in favor of mental health awareness. She regularly spoke up for those caring for people who are aging, ill, or disabled, once famously declaring:
This profound observation captures the universal nature of caregiving and its central role in the human experience.
The Carters’ committed much of their lives after leaving office to Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI) – the Georgia, USA-based Christian non-profit that works to help build and improve affordable homes for families of low-income or disadvantaged backgrounds.
They famously promoted the organization’s cause by working as Habitat volunteers for over four decades, helping build and renovate more than 4,000 homes – further exemplifying their understanding that having a safe, dignified place to call home is fundamental to human wellbeing.
The Carters’ hands-on involvement with HFHI – with Jimmy Carter still wielding a hammer well into his 90s – demonstrated that age need not be a barrier to meaningful contribution to society.
At Affordable Senior Care, we see the Carters’ example as a blueprint for the values that guide our caregiving services across the San Francisco Bay Area, San Jose, and Silicon Valley regions.
Their story embodies several essential principles that we strive to uphold, namely:
The Carters showed how aging can be a time of continued purpose and dignity. Jimmy Carter’s later years were marked by continued service and writing, while Rosalynn maintained her advocacy for mental health and caregiving until her final days.
This mirrors our commitment to helping seniors maintain their dignity and independence while aging in place at home.
The Carters’ dedication to their modest home in Plains reminds us why we’re so passionate about enabling seniors to remain in their own homes.
Each at home caregiver who works for ASC understand that familiar surroundings provide comfort, stability, and a sense of continued independence that’s crucial for emotional and physical wellbeing.
Just as the Carters approached their humanitarian work with genuine compassion and kindness, our caregivers bring that same spirit to their daily interactions with our clients.
Whether it’s support for and assistance with daily activities, companionship, or respite care for family caregivers, our Bay Area in home caregiving team approaches each task with dedication and empathy.
At Affordable Senior Care, we’re proud to carry forward the values exemplified by Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter in our daily work throughout the Bay Area. Our comprehensive non-medical caregiving services enable seniors to maintain their independence and live their best lives while receiving the support they need in the comfort of their own homes.
The types of in-home care offered by our qualified, experienced professional caregivers – considered ‘visiting angels’ by our many clients – include:
Like the Carters, we believe that everyone deserves to age with dignity in a nurturing environment at home instead of in impersonal, unfamiliar surroundings. Their legacy reminds us that caregiving is not just a service but a calling – one that touches all of our lives in some way.
The Jimmy Carter funeral date of January 9, 2024, has been designated as a national day of mourning, with President Carter’s state funeral serving as a moment for the nation to unite in remembering this remarkable leader.
The funeral schedule and plans to honor Carter reflect the same modest dignity that characterized his life of service. This day of mourning Jimmy Carter has also been declared a federal holiday, allowing Americans across the nation to pay their respects.
Specially designating the Carter funeral federal holiday to mark his death and commemorate his life underscores the profound impact of his legacy on our nation.
As we prepare for this national day of mourning, we’re reminded that the memorial serves as more than a solemn occasion – it will be a celebration of an extraordinary life that exemplified the values of compassion, dignity, and service to others. His extraordinary legacy of humanitarian work, which continued long after his presidency, stands as an inspiration to all who serve others.
In a decision that reflects his lifelong commitment to Georgia and his hometown roots, President Carter chose to forego the traditional lying in state at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Instead, he will lie in state at the Georgia Capitol in Atlanta, allowing the people of his beloved home state to pay their final respects.
This choice speaks volumes about a man who, despite reaching the nation’s highest office, never lost his connection to home and community – a value we deeply understand at Affordable Senior Care as we help seniors maintain their precious bonds with home and family.
The state funeral arrangements reflect Carter’s characteristic humility and deep connection to his hometown of Plains, Georgia. Like his approach to life and service, the planned ceremonies emphasize simplicity and community – qualities that resonate deeply with our mission at Affordable Senior Care. His choice to be laid to rest in Plains, rather than accepting the option of a more elaborate ceremony in Washington, D.C., says much about his lifelong commitment to home and community.
While we mark this solemn occasion, we’re inspired to redouble our commitment to the values President Carter championed throughout his 99 years of life. His legacy reminds us that true greatness lies not in power or prestige, but in how we serve and care for others.
At Affordable Senior Care, we strive to honor this legacy every day through our dedication to compassionate, dignified care for seniors in our community.
As we reflect on the extraordinary lives of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, we’re reminded that their values – dedication to family, service to others, and the importance of home – are timeless.
At Affordable Senior Care, we strive to honor these values every day through our commitment to providing compassionate, professional care that enables seniors to maintain their independence and dignity in their own homes.
Whether you’re currently caring for an aging loved one or planning for future care needs, we’re here to support you with the same dedication and compassion that defined the Carters’ remarkable legacy of service.
Together, we can ensure that every senior in our community has the opportunity to age with dignity in the comfort of their own home.
To find out more about Affordable Senior Care’s personalized, flexible approach to providing compassionate, quality and affordable home caregiving services and in home care support, reach out to us today. We’d be happy to assess your care needs, and provide you with a tailored home-based caregiving plan to suit your financial situation.
Rosalynn Carter, in particular, became a powerful advocate for vulnerable people and their caregivers and in favor of mental health awareness. She regularly spoke up for those caring for people who are aging, ill, or disabled, once famously declaring:
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P.O. Box 321266 Los Gatos,
CA 95032-0121
Phone: 408.559.2810
Email: info@afforablesc.com
