Lillian Carter, the mother of former US President Jimmy Carter, passed away at 85 from cancer.
She had been receiving treatment at Americus-Sumter County Hospital in Georgia.
Lillian Carter was renowned for her endearing personality. And at times, for her frank outspokenness, which became synonymous with her son’s presidency.
Her legacy will forever be linked to her son’s time in office.
Who is Miss Lillian Carter?
Miss Lillian Gordy was born in 1898 and grew up with eight siblings. Her dad, James Jackson Gordy, was a well-known person in their town and did a great job managing a campaign for Congress.
When Miss Lillian moved to Plains with her family in 1921, she began her nurse’s training and met James Earl Carter, who managed a store that sold things to farmers.
They got married and had four children, one of whom later became the President of the United States.
Miss Lillian worked as a nurse for a long time during the 1920s and 1930s. She looked after the Black farm hands that worked for the Carters, which made her white neighbor.
Her dad’s death in 1953 upset her, and she decided to be a housemother at a university in Alabama for six years.
Later, she ran a nursing home in Georgia but only stayed for a short time because most of her patients were younger than her.
Miss Lillian had wanted to become a doctor, but instead, she focused her life on taking care of her family and helping her community.
When she passed away, she left behind 15 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
Image Source: ajc
How did Miss Lillian Die?
Carter had breast cancer, spreading to her bones and worsening her condition. A month after being diagnosed, she passed away on October 30, 1983, in Americus, Georgia, at age 85.
Her three surviving children were with her during her final moments. Carter was laid to rest in a modest service at Lebanon Church Cemetery on November 1, 1983.
She was buried alongside her husband, who had passed away thirty years earlier.
Miss Lillian Carter’s Legacy
Miss Lillian Carter was famous not only as the mother of former US President Jimmy Carter but also for her nursing work in Georgia and her volunteering as a Peace Corps member in India.
During her son’s presidency, she even wrote two books.
In appreciation of her efforts as a nurse in the community, a prominent nursing center in Plains was named after her in 2001.
Furthermore, she was honored in 2011 by the Georgia Women of Achievement for her considerable contributions to the state.
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