When they first tied the knot in 1946, the world looked a lot different.
The fallout from World War II was still being sorted out. The first regularly broadcast television series was still two years away from its debut and entertainment was primarily found in movie theaters, books and on the radio.
The smart phone and the internet were purely fantastical science fiction fever dreams.
And yet, 77 years later, the commitment between former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn endures.
Their love story dates back even farther. Jimmy’s mother was a nurse who helped deliver Rosalynn in her family’s home back in 1927, and she brought her preschool-aged son by to meet the new baby a few days later.
So what’s their secret to wedded bliss that has lasted over three-quarters of a century? The Carters credited openness, both in communicating their disputes and letting each other know when personal time is needed, along with their Christian faith.
“Every day there needs to be reconciliation,” the former president said in a 2021 interview. “We don’t go to sleep with some remaining differences between us.”
“Each should have some space,” Rosalynn added. “That’s really important.”
In recent years, health challenges have cropped up for Jimmy, 98, and Rosalynn, 95. Jimmy has been in home hospice care since February and Rosalynn has dementia.
And while their family has declined to provide an update on either Carter’s condition, they did offer that they are enjoying a quiet day at their home in Georgia for their special day.
“As we have looked back at their legacy, it has been really wonderful to see the outpouring of support and respect and love,” grandson Jason Carter said in a recent interview, according to CBS News. “That word ‘love’ is really the one that defines certainly their personal relationship, but also the way they approach this world.”
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