ATLANTA — In a room filled with loved ones and U.S. dignitaries, Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter's grandson shared fond memories of his "cool grandma" at a tribute service for her at Glenn Memorial Church at Emory University.
Rosalynn died at 96 years old on Nov. 19 in Plains, Georgia. Although it was a somber gathering, Jason James Carter made the attendees laugh with stories from childhood and beyond. He humorously shared how many of her recipes called for mayonnaise, how she gifted her grandchildren $20 on their birthdays -- no matter the age, and how she loved adventures and people.
"She learned to ski in her 60s and skied for 25 more years," he said.
He shared that she lived a public love story with the former president. She traveled the world, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and opened up her heart to serve others. He said his grandmother was the rock of their family.
"She was made for these long journeys and she was made to summit these mountains. As they said before, when she started in politics, she had never talked to a group of people bigger than her Sunday school class," he said.
Jason Carter serves as the chair of the board for The Carter Center. He said he watched his grandmother build it from just an idea, and she turned it into a powerhouse.
"It's because she poured out her love," he said.
She was a determined woman with unshakable faith who advocated for mental health.
"It was remarkable how far she could see and how far she was willing to walk, and that effort changed lives and it saved lives -- including in my own family," he said.
He ended his tribute to Rosalynn with a story about one of his last memories of his grandmother while they were at the hospital for his grandfather.
"She had her own physical limitations that made it hard for her to walk. She had to practice. She was ready to go one of these walks, she picked up this cane and I looked at the cane. She looked at me and she said, 'You know it's not a cane.' She said, 'It's a trekking pole,'" he explained as the crowd laughed.
"She said, 'It's the exact same kind that those women use when they go to the South Pole.' I watched her walk down that hall with that trekking pole and I followed her. And I just pray, that we never lose sight of that path. Amen, and thank you," he said.