Former President James Earl “Jimmy” Carter Jr. was remembered by his grandson, Jason Carter, who noted that the former president’s “legacy will live on.”
During a funeral service for Carter at the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta, Georgia, Jason Carter, who serves as the Chair of the Carter Center’s Board of Trustees, spoke about how his grandfather’s spirit filled the Carter Presidential Center, adding that the people who worked there were “the real keepers” of his grandparent’s legacy.
The funeral service for the former president, who passed away at the end of December 2024 at the age of 100, comes before a funeral service at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday. The former president “will lie in state at the Capitol,” the following day, according to ABC News.
“We’ll have many chances this week to pay tribute to my grandfather, but it was important for all of us that we stop here,” Jason Carter said. “These buildings, as you all know, are filled with his life, not just because this is a museum to his life. And, not just because there’s a collection here of his beloved paintings, but his spirit fills this place.”
“And, the real reason that this spirit fills this place is because of the people who are standing here,” Jason Carter continued. “The people in this room from the library and the museum and the Carter Center itself, you all are the real keepers of my grandparents’ legacy.”
Jason Carter continued to admit that while his family had “been thinking about” his grandfather’s passing for some time, he knew in his heart that the former president’s legacy would continue to live on, “not only because of the millions of people that he touched” but because of the hard work and spirit of the workers of the Carter Presidential Center.
“All of us have been thinking about this day and planning for it for a long time, but it is obviously still hard for all of us. For us, my family, and I’m sure, I can see on your faces, for many of you, I appreciate that,” Jason Carter said. “But, just know, that while we mourn my grandfathers passing, I know in my heart and you all do, that his legacy will live on, not only because of the millions of people that he touched across the globe, but very specifically because of your spirit and your knowledge and the work and track record that you do every day.”
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