'We want to keep her memory alive.' Plains, Georgia reflects on Rosalynn Carter's legacy

Andrea Walker took a meal over to Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter's home in Plains just over a week ago. The main fixins? Liver and onions, which was one of Rosalynn Carter's favorites, Walker said.

Cooking and sharing meals with the couple had been one hallmark of Walker's friendship with the former first couple, which began when Walker and her late husband moved in 2006 to a home directly behind the Carter residence.

That Monday trip delivering dinner was the last time Walker saw Rosalynn Carter. She was asleep, but Walker was still able to see her, "just looking like Mrs. Rosalynn," Walker said in an interview on Monday.

"I will cherish that unique bond forever."

Rosalynn Carter passed away at home in Plains, Georgia, on Sunday, Nov. 19. The next day, media, tourists and residents scattered across the rural town ― population just over 550 ― on a relatively quiet Monday, with many offering reflections on the friendship and legacy of Rosalynn Carter. Others declined to speak; her loss too new, too personal.

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'When Rosalynn walked into a room: hope'

Many dropped into the Plains High School Visitor Center at Jimmy Carter National Historical Site, the school where Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter graduated. After an interview in the historic classroom exhibit, National Park Service Superintendent Jill Stuckey pointed out another exhibit Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter wanted at the location: a display showing the race-based inequities in education from having segregated schools Plains.

Stuckey first met Rosalynn Carter in the mid-1990s at a Cherry Blossom Festival in Macon. The two cultivated a friendship over about 20 years after Stuckey moved to Plains in the early 2000s. Rosalynn Carter would sometimes walk down to Stuckey's house just to have a glass of wine and talk about what she worked on that day, Stuckey said.

"When Rosalynn walked into a room: hope," Stuckey said. "She gave everything."

Father and son Stan and Jack Keeley wandered in. Stan lives in Albany, but his son was in town from Minnesota. The two took a break from a couple days' work on the family hobby farm to make the 40-minute trip. Stan Keeley was in Plains in September for this year's annual Plains Peanut Festival ― the last public appearance of the couple ― but he wanted to come and express his gratitude for Rosalynn Carter's work, and so his son could see the town, he said.

"It just seems the timing was kind of unique, like everything happens for a reason," Jack Keeley said.

Rosalynn Carter's impact personal, global

Rosalynn Carter's impact on her local community and the world was sweeping. She was known for making the first lady a full-time job while serving as a global humanitarian advocating for mental health and human rights.

She also was closely associated with her work with Habitat for Humanity, which was founded in Americus, a town just nine miles to the east of Plains. Habitat for Humanity International CEO Jonathan Reckford first met Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter in Plains for his final interview. The two sat on a double rocking chair holding hands, Reckford said.

One thing that sticks out to Reckford from his time working with Rosalynn Carter was her compassion for the families they served, he said. Reckford said he can think of numerous instances of Rosalynn Carter celebrating at home dedications and passing out Bibles with tears in her eyes, he said.

"I was always impressed with her combination of strength, and grace and compassion," Reckford said, "and she exhibited both in such impressive ways."

Walker, the former backyard neighbor, said the former first lady never changed in all the years she knew her. Rosalynn Carter's life of service showed she practiced what she preached, Walker said.

Stephanie Young, owner of Southwest Trophy and Gifts on Main Street in Plains, said Rosalynn Carter's life of service was a wonderful influence on Plains. Now, the city hopes to live by her example moving forward, she said.

"Our goal here in Plains is to let that legacy live on," Young said. "We want to see that, we want to see it practiced, we want to keep her memory alive."

Evan Lasseter is the city and county government reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at ELasseter@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Rosalynn Carter's legacy alive in Plains Georgia