One cannot help but look at the over 77 years of marriage of former first lady Rosalynn and President Jimmy Carter and think that’s couple goals. The pair supported each other through life’s many ups and downs. DuBose Porter, a longtime friend of the former first couple, said it best: "Sometimes it's difficult to know where one ends and the other begins."
Rosalynn and Jimmy’s acquaintance began early in life. Jimmy’s mom Lillian Carter was a nurse and helped deliver Rosalyn. She brought 3-year-old Jimmy to the hospital to meet her. It would take time and a Navy uniform for sparks to fly.
Eleanor Rosalynn Smith was born on August 18, 1927, in Plains, Georgia. Family friend Lillian helped deliver her. It was a small town of just 600 people, so the Carters and the Smiths knew each other well and spent time together socially.
Shortly after Rosalynn’s birth, Lillian brought Jimmy to the hospital to make a new friend. Little did she know, this would be her future daughter-in-law. The exact timeline is unknown but some say this meeting happened just three days after Rosalynn’s entry into the world.
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Since Plains was such a small town, Rosalynn and Jimmy knew each other but were not close friends growing up. Rosalynn was friends with Jimmy’s younger sister Ruth. Jimmy would go on to study at the United States Naval Academy and Rosalynn couldn’t help but notice how handsome he looked in a uniform.
Rosalynn did not think too much of Jimmy because he was studying far away. One summer, when he was visiting home before his final year at the Naval Academy, he asked her on a date. The pair went to the movies. Jimmy knew this was special even then.
The couple threw caution to the wind and began dating despite the distance. Jimmy came up with a unique acronym "ILYTG" to express his love for Rosalynn. It meant "I love you the goodest."
Rosalynn said no the first time Jimmy asked her to marry him, not even a year after they started dating. Jimmy did not stop asking and eventually she said yes. The couple were married on July 7, 1946. They would go on to have four children who would give them 22 grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
On their 75th wedding anniversary, Jimmy gushed about their marriage to The New York Times. “It’s been the best thing I’ve ever had happen to me — marrying Rosalynn and living together for so long, growing to know each other more and more intimately every day in married life,” he stated. “I’ve been very happy. And I love her more now than I did to begin with — which is saying a lot, because I loved her a lot.”
In February of this year, Jimmy decided to stop medical treatment after a series of hospitalizations and entered hospice care at his and Rosalynn’s Georgia home. In May, Rosalynn was diagnosed with dementia. She entered hospice care just days before her death at age 96 on November 19, 2023. Jimmy was by her side, a constant in her life until the end.
Jimmy issued a statement about Rosalynn’s death. "Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished,” he began. “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."
