Jason Carter, grandson of Jimmy Carter, said his grandfather was a man of humble roots who remained that way, and was the same person everywhere he went. Jason Carter said he “never perceived a difference between his public face and his private one.”
Jimmy Carter returned to his longtime home after the presidency.
“My grandfather was likely to show up at the door in some 70s short shorts and some Crocs,” Jason Carter said. In many ways, that house was like “thousands” of grandparents’ houses in the South, Jason Carter said. It had fishing trophies, a refrigerator papered with the photos of grandchildren, and a main phone stuck to the wall in the kitchen, “like a museum piece.” The house even had a rack next to the sink for hanging Ziploc bags to dry.
One time, Jason Carter said his grandfather called him from his cell phone. The former president asked, “Who’s this?” Jason Carter responded, “This is Jason. You called me.” Jimmy Carter responded, “‘I didn’t call you, I’m taking a picture.”
Jimmy Carter was a unique Democrat, his grandson said — he cut the deficit, wanted to decriminalize marijuana, deregulated industries and championed craft beer.
“Basically, all those years, he was the first millennial,” Jason Carter said.
And most of all, Jason Carter said, his grandfather praised God and loved others.
“From the moment that he woke up, until he laid his head, his life was a testament to the goodness of God. And I thank all of you for being here to celebrate this life,” Jason Carter said.
