Carter family expresses gratitude for 'outpouring of love and support'

The family of the late former President Carter expressed its gratitude for the global expressions of support as it grieves his death at the age of 100 on Sunday.

“The outpouring of love and support we have received from around the world confirms what we have known all along — Jimmy Carter’s family extends far beyond blood relatives,” his family wrote in a Thursday statement.

“We are sincerely grateful for everyone’s words of comfort and acts of kindness following the passing of such a champion of human rights, justice, and peace.”

Americans across the social and political spectrum expressed their affection for the politician from Plains, Ga., who would swiftly rise to the presidency in an underdog 1976 campaign, before losing four years later to former President Reagan, then enjoying the longest post-presidency in history, creating the Carter Center, which became a force in the humanitarian world, and winning the Nobel Peace Prive in 2002.

Carter's presidency was largely defined by economic struggles and the politically disastrous Iranian hostage crisis. However, his leadership in brokering the Camp Davis Accords between Egypt and Isreal was widely seen as a defining diplomatic success.

President Obama said Carter had the “most-impactful” post-presidency in history in a statement lauding the leader’s decades of service in his local church and broader community.

“ He believed some things were more important than reelection — things like integrity, respect, and compassion,” Obama shared. “Because Jimmy Carter believed, as deeply as he believed anything, that we are all created in God’s image.”

For years after his term in office ended, Carter protruded as a crusader for affordable housing, often building homes with his own hands alongside his wife Rosalynn.

“President and Mrs. Carter began volunteering with Habitat for Humanity near their home in southwest Georgia more than 40 years ago, and soon brought worldwide attention to the need for decent and affordable housing,” Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International, said in a statement. 

“We are grateful for the incredible impact the Carters have had on Habitat and on the families who have benefited from their shining example. The Carters put Habitat for Humanity on the map, and their legacy lives on in every family we serve around the world.”

Carter will be mourned by thousands during his funeral on Jan. 9, which President Biden has declared a National Day of Mourning. Carter will lay in the Capitol Rotunda for public viewing in the days before from Jan. 7 to Jan. 9. 

“My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and unselfish love,” said Chip Carter, the former president’s son, in a Carter Center statement. 

“My brothers, sister, and I shared him with the rest of the world through these common beliefs.”