Funeral ceremonies for Rosalynn Carter set for next week in Georgia

Nov. 20 (UPI) -- The Carter family announced funeral plans and a series of ceremonies to commemorate the life and enduring legacy of Rosalynn Carter, the cherished matriarch who died at 96 Sunday after a lifetime of public service.

Several memorial services will take place in Georgia from Nov. 27 to Nov. 29, beginning the Monday after Thanksgiving, when family members arrive at Phoebe Sumter Medical Center in Americus to gather Carter's remains.

The former first lady's body will be transferred to a hearse at the facility before leading a family motorcade on a 20-minute procession through her hometown, where residents were preparing to pay their respects by standing along the route.

Current and former members of the Secret Service will accompany the Carter family throughout the day amid several public events and ceremonies in two Georgia cities.

After the procession, the motorcade will arrive at the Rosalynn Carter Health and Human Sciences Complex at Georgia Southwestern State University in Americus, where a wreath-laying ceremony is planned for 11 a.m.

From there the motorcade will depart Americus on a three-hour drive to the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta, where the family plans to honor Carter with a private ceremony in the lobby beginning around 3:30 p.m.

From there, Carter's remains will lay in repose at the Carter Presidential Library and Museum, which will be open to the public from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Parking and shuttle services will be available Monday at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, nearby.

On Tuesday, the family will resume the motorcade, departing the Carter Center for Glenn Memorial Church at Emory University, where a special service is planned to honor Carter's memory from 1-2:30 p.m.

Carter's funeral will be held Nov. 29, at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, however the service is closed to the family and close friends.

Later in the afternoon, Carter's body will be interred at the Carter family residence in Plains, Ga., after the casket makes one last pass in the motorcade along the downtown areas of Bond Street and Highway 280.

Condolence books will be available to sign at Georgia Southwestern State University, the Plains Welcome Center, Plains High School, and the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta.

The Carter family has invited the public to contribute to the Carter Center's Mental Health Program and the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers, emblematic initiatives founded by Carter to address critical family health concerns.