Rosalynn Carter funeral scheduled for Plains, Georgia

Funeral services for former first lady Rosalynn Carter will take place next week in Plains, Ga., the Carter Center announced late Sunday, as part of remembrance ceremonies including a wreath laying and a tribute.

Carter, the wife of former President Carter, died on Sunday at the age of 96 at her home in Plains, shortly after she entered hospice care. She was diagnosed with dementia in March, about a month after her husband entered hospice care.

A funeral service for family and invited friends will take place on Wednesday at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains. Her casket will then be taken to the Carter family residence for a private interment, the Carter Center said.

The Carter Center said the public is welcome to line the motorcade route in designated viewing areas as it proceeds from the church.

On Monday, Rosalynn Carter's body will be transferred to a hearse at a medical center in Americus, Ga. and be taken to the Rosalynn Carter Health and Human Sciences Complex at Georgia Southwestern State University, where a wreath-laying ceremony is planned.

The public will also be able to pay their respects along the motorcade's route to the university, the Carter Center said.

Members of the public are later invited to pay their respects to the former first lady at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, Ga., where she will lie in repose.

A departure ceremony from the Presidential Library and Museum will take place on Tuesday and a tribute service will be held with invited guests at Glenn Memorial Church.

Carter was known as an advocate for various humanitarian issues, notably for her efforts to improve mental health care and caregiving. Reactions to her death poured in on Sunday, with President Biden and first lady Jill Biden joining scores of U.S. lawmakers, former presidents and first ladies paying tribute to her legacy on social media.

In a statement Sunday, the former president said his wife was his "equal partner in everything I ever accomplished."

“She gave me wise guidance and encouragement when I needed it. As long as Rosalynn was in the world, I always knew somebody loved and supported me," the former present added.

The Carters marked their 77th wedding anniversary in July and in 2021 their marriage became the longest for a first couple in U.S. history.

Rosalynn Carter is survived by her four children, 11 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren, the Carter Center noted.