Sat Jan 04 19:57:00 UTC 2025: ## Carter’s Farewell Journey Begins in Georgia
**Plains, Georgia –** A six-day state funeral for former U.S. President Jimmy Carter began Saturday, January 4, 2024, with a somber procession through his hometown of Plains, Georgia. The flag-draped casket, carried by former Secret Service agents, traveled from Americus to Plains, passing Carter’s childhood home. Family members, including his children and grandchildren, accompanied the hearse.
Thousands lined the route to pay their respects to the 39th president, who died at age 100 on December 29, 2023. Many expressed admiration for Carter’s humanitarian work and commitment to peace. 12-year-old Will Porter Shelbrock, traveling from Florida to witness the procession, cited Carter’s solar panel initiative at the White House and peace efforts as inspirations.
The procession paused at Carter’s family farm, where the old farm bell was rung 39 times in his honor. The casket will then travel to Atlanta for a moment of silence at the Georgia Capitol and a ceremony at the Carter Presidential Centre, before being transported to Washington, D.C. to lie in state at the U.S. Capitol. A state funeral will be held at Washington National Cathedral on Thursday, January 9, 2024, followed by a private burial in Plains beside his wife, Rosalynn Carter, who passed away in November 2023.
First Piper 