Rosalynn Carter death: Biden orders flags to be flown at half-staff

Throughout her lifetime, Rosalynn Carter worked to destigmatize mental health, advocate for better care for the elderly, build housing and preserve butterflies.

As a fan of butterflies from a young age, Carter spent the latter half of her lifetime working to preserve butterfly habitats in her hometown of Plains, Georgia.

In 2013, Carter sought to create a safe place for Monarch butterflies to pollinate, after seeing butterfly habitats dwindle due to natural disasters, human interference and more. She created the Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trail which hosts plants for Monarchs and other butterflies to use to grow.

The trail continued to grow with locations across the US, Canada, Europe and Japan.

President Joe Biden has ordered all US flags to be flown at half-staff in honour of Rosalynn Carter, who died on Sunday.

“ Throughout her life as First Lady of Georgia and First Lady of the United States, Rosalynn Carter exemplified hope, warmth, and a steadfast commitment to doing all she could to address many of our society’s greatest needs,” President Biden wrote.

“She was a champion for equal rights and opportunities for women and girls; an advocate for mental health and wellness for all; and a supporter of the often unseen and uncompensated caregivers of our children, aging loved ones, and people with disabilities. Above all, the deep love shared between Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter is the definition of partnership, and their humble leadership is the definition of patriotism,” he added.

Carter’s funeral will take place next Wednesday.

Throughout her time as first lady and even after, Rosalynn Carter advocated to end the stigma around mental health disorders and spoke openly about mental health struggles.

She helped create the President’s Commission on Mental Health in 1977, which sought to create a comprehensive review of the US’s mental health system.

She toured around the country, visiting mental health facilities and by the time the commission had released its findings she pushed for legislation to reform the systems. She testified to Congress and helped with the passage of the Mental Health Systems Act of 1980.

Even after leaving the White House, Carter hosted forums and bridged conversations between mental health professionals and consumers to create tangible solutions.

She chaired the Carter Center Mental Health Task Force, helped fund the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism, and established the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers at Georgia Southwestern State University.

While remembering former first lady Rosalynn Carter, several US agencies have issued statements on her death including the Secret Service, the White House and now the National Archives.

In a tweet posted to X, the US National Archives shared Rosalynn Carter’s strawberry cake recipe that she used while serving as first lady during her husband, Jimmy Carter’s, administration.

“Today, we honor the remarkable legacy of Rosalynn Carter, whose warmth touched the nation. As we remember her, we share one of her favorite recipes—a classic strawberry cake—reflecting the sweetness she brought to so many,” the National Archives wrote.

The recipe calls for a package of yellow or white cake mix, a package of strawberry jello, 3/4 cup of cooking oil, one cup of chopped nuts, four eggs, two tablespoons of flour and a package of frozen strawberries mixed with half a cup of sugar.

Carter’s strawberry cake was “a Carter family favorite” according to the National Archives.

On August 18th, Rosalynn Carter celebrated her 96th birthday at her home in Plains, Georgia with her husband, former president Jimmy Carter, and family, according to The Associated Press.

Carter, who died on Sunday, was navigating living with dementia in the final months of her life while her husband was entered into hospice earlier this year.

Her quiet birthday was spent eating cupcakes and peanut butter ice cream and then releasing butterflies into the Carters’ garden.

Carter had a deep love for butterflies since childhood.

Her family and friends released butterflies on her birthday as well as an ode to her life.

The grandson of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter previously told news outlets that even at the end of their lives, the two were still together and holding hands.

“They are still here, they are still holding hands and still very much together,” Josh Carter told People magazine in August.

Carter and her husband were married for 77 years.

Toward the end of her life, Carter was diagnosed with dementia. But even then, she was able to recognise her husband.

Josh Carter told People Carter was aware of Mr Carter and her other family members at the time but that it was probably “hard” for Mr Carter to see his wife lose access to older memories.

“I think the beautiful thing is that they are still together,” Josh said.

The White House has set out a small memorial for Rosalynn Carter to honour the former first lady who died on Sunday at 96 years old.

On a side table positioned underneath a portrait of Carter is a candle, flowers and a framed note that reads “In loving memory of Rosalynn Carter. August 18, 1927 - November 19, 2023.”

The portrait is draped in a black fabric, the universal symbol of mourning.

First Lady Jill Biden tweeted a video of the small memorial.