Toledo, OH — Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), the longest serving woman in the history of Congress and former White House Urban Planning Policy Advisor to President Jimmy Carter, has released the following statement on the passing of former First Lady Rosalynn Carter:
“Rosalynn Carter—beloved spouse of President Jimmy Carter and mother to their family and our nation—has blessed our Republic for over 3/4 of a century.”
“Her perpetual kindness, wisdom, faithfulness to family, community, and country are legendary. Her patriotism had no bounds.
“As First Lady, she perseveringly and with her matter-of-fact manner elevated the plight of mental illness to national attention—As a farm wife, the footage of her carrying her sewing machine into the White House stirred surprise and even criticism in many privileged quarters.
“She tried to show struggling families at home and abroad how to be more self-sufficient. As a White House policy staffer at the time, I had the privilege of working with her as an ally in neighborhood revitalization in some of the most forgotten corners of America.
“She was a lady in every sense of the word—gracious, erudite, persuasive. She was faith-filled, indefatigable, committed, and truly a credit to our great nation.
“May her spirit and memory comfort her husband, her family, staff, and all the millions of people the Carter family touched with healing and inspiration. Rest in peace Rosalynn.”