Former first lady Rosalynn Carter honored in private tribute service

Former first lady Rosalynn Carter was remembered Tuesday at a tribute service attended by her husband, former President Jimmy Carter, as well as by President Joe Biden and numerous current and former politicians and first ladies.

The service was held at Glenn Memorial Church on the campus of Emory University in Atlanta. Rosalynn Carter died Nov. 19 at age 96 in Plains, Georgia.

Just before the service began, former President Carter was wheeled into the church in a wheelchair and positioned in the front pews. The Carters' four children sat on each side of their father. The others in the front row included Biden, first lady Jill Biden, former President Bill Clinton and other former first ladies: Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama, Laura Bush and Melania Trump. Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, sat behind them in the second row.

They all joined the Bidens in their motorcade except Melania Trump.

Other attendees who joined the Biden motorcade included Sens. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., and Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., and Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, as well as Lynda Bird Johnson Robb, the daughter of the late President Lyndon Johnson, and her husband, former Sen. Chuck Robb, D-Va.

The Carters' second-eldest son, James Earl "Chip" Carter, spoke in his eulogy about how his mother cared deeply for people who needed help.

"She told me that her adventures had led her to more than 120 countries. She had been fly fishing all over the world. She had met kings and queens, presidents, others of authority, powerful corporate leaders and celebrities," he said at the service. "She said the people that she felt the most comfortable with and the people she enjoyed being with the most were those that lived in absolute abject poverty, the ones without adequate housing, without a proper diet."

He credited his mother with saving his life and getting him into rehab for drug and alcohol addiction. He kissed the casket after he finished his eulogy.

Longtime journalist Judy Woodruff delivered another eulogy, speaking about covering the Carters as a young reporter. She noted that Rosalynn Carter decided to participate in White House Cabinet meetings as first lady and that she was integral to the decision to host the negotiations for the Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt at the presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland.

"Without Rosalynn Carter, I don't believe there would have been a President Carter," Woodruff said.

The president, the first lady, the vice president and her husband participated in a private meet-and-greet with members of the Carter family before the service at Glenn School for Young Children, the White House said.

Jason Carter, a grandson of the Carters and a former Georgia state senator, shared many funny stories about his grandmother in his eulogy. He also welcomed all of the current and former first ladies, saying: "Thank you all for coming and acknowledging this remarkable sisterhood that you share with my grandmother. And thank you all for your leadership that you provided for our country and the world."

"Secretary Clinton, Dr. Biden, we also welcome your lovely husbands," he joked, causing Presidents Clinton and Biden to chuckle.

On Monday, the first day of services, the former first lady lay in repose at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta. A private funeral service is scheduled for Wednesday in Plains.

"The president and the first lady certainly look forward to being there and to ... offering their condolences," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at Monday's briefing. She said the president would not be delivering remarks at the service.

The service included musical performances by Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood and members of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

Rosalynn Carter spent much of her life advocating for mental health care. In 1987, she founded the Institute for Caregivers, building on her "belief that everyone is a caregiver now, has been a caregiver, or will either be or need a caregiver in the future," according to the organization's website.

“Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished,” Jimmy Carter said in a statement Nov. 19. “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.”

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com