Rosalynn Carter’s Atlanta funeral service took place at Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church on Nov. 28th, surrounded by tall, stately oaks and pines.

Paige Alexander, the CEO of the Carter Center, spoke to the media before the service and praised Rosalynn Carter’s legacy as a humanitarian and a visionary. She said that the Carter Center would continue to work on global health, peace, human rights, and conflict resolution, following the north star that Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter had set for them. She also shared that Jimmy Carter had arrived in Atlanta and that he never wanted to be too far away from his beloved wife. She said that the family and the staff of the Carter Center were celebrating Rosalynn Carter’s life and values and that they felt some closure knowing that she had planned the songs and the prayers for the service herself.

The funeral procession circled around the left side of the church, where former secret service agents carried Rosalynn Carter’s casket up the steps under the towering white steeple. The service lasted longer than expected, and the hearse left around three o’clock, taking the casket to Rosalynn Carter’s home county for the burial. The cold weather had eased a bit by then.

Some onlookers who witnessed the motorcade expressed their emotions and admiration for Rosalynn Carter. Darnell Reid said that it was a touching moment and that she was a Georgia legend. Robert Bryant said that it was a reverent moment of deep history and perspective. He recalled hearing four words used to describe Rosalynn Carter: First Lady, caregiver, advocate, and mother. He said that those were powerful words and that it was an honor to be there for that moment.