Jimmy Carter returns to Plains, is honored at Maranatha Baptist Church before burial

The late President Jimmy Carter was set to finally be laid to rest during a private burial at his peanut farm Thursday evening, concluding nearly a week of state funeral services.

Only Carter’s closest kin attended a funeral at the small, local Maranatha Baptist Church, where Carter taught Sunday school from 1981 to 2019.

“Family that knew him as Jimmy, not Jimmy Carter, are here today,” said Megan Allen, public affairs chief for the U.S. Air Force.

A series of public and private memorials preceded this intimate moment. His body was taken between rural Plains, Atlanta, Washington D.C., Maryland, Fort Moore and back home to Plains for a final drive through his old stomping ground.

Around 50 family and friends witnessed the last public display of honor for Carter when the motorcade arrived around 5 p.m. at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains. They stood at the front of the vehicle procession as 21 F-18s with the U.S. Navy flew over.

The jets performed a missing man formation, in which one jet turned 45 degrees sideways while the other 20 soared ahead to symbolize the fallen Navy service member and commander-in-chief.

The aircrafts were scheduled to fly over during the burial later that evening, but the motorcade arrived over an hour late due to freezing weather conditions in Washington, D.C.

Over 80 military service members and the Army band stood at attention outside the church as attendees walked in.

The only sounds as the congregation entered the church were bird chips, young children’s chatter and strong wind from jets in the distance.

Body bearers with the U.S. military lifted his casket from the hearse and walked it inside the small church for a 45-minute private funeral. Carter’s personal pastor Tony Lowden walked alongside them and gave a eulogy inside.

Horns and drums from the Army band echoed behind them.

Carter’s grandchildren served as honorary pallbearers, carrying his casket during the funeral.

The motorcade then drove Carter and his family about 3 miles to his small residence, just a half-mile from downtown Plains.

Military service members would fire a 21-gun salute just before Carter was buried, officials said.

Carter was set to be privately buried beside his wife, Rosalynn, who died in 2023.

President Joe Biden delivered a eulogy Thursday morning at the Washington National Cathedral and declared Jan. 9 as a national day of mourning.

Full-circle moment for longtime supporters

Mattie Wright, a 73-year-old Albany resident, visited Plains Thursday to honor the late president’s push for racial equality — a lesson Jimmy Carter instilled in his son, Chip.

Wright attended Georgia Southwestern University with Chip in the early 1970s. He used to talk with Wright and other Black students at the university’s student center.

“At that time, most whites would not come and sit with us,” Wright said. “But he didn’t have any problems coming over and talking with us.”

Carter’s younger brother, Billy, treated her just the same.

Wright often participated in parent-teacher-association meetings with Billy when her kids attended Westside Elementary School.

“They were involved in just about everything around here,” Wright said.

Another spectator, Jon Warkentin, voted for Carter in the 1976 presidential election, the first year he was old enough to vote.

Warkentin was volunteering with an organization called Midnight Central Committee in Guatemala when he cast his ballot at the country’s U.S. embassy.

“I have huge respect for his work for human rights and public health around the world, which was my field later on,” Warkentin said. “He was a person of integrity which we so desperately need today in leadership.”

The only time he ever drove to Carter’s hometown was after taking a wrong turn in late 1980 — the year Carter lost a bid for a second presidential term.

This time, Warkentin paid his long-awaited respects.

“Just honoring him being here is something I wanted to do for a long time,” he said.

This story was originally published January 9, 2025 at 6:59 PM.