PLAINS, Ga. — Jimmy Carter could have lived anywhere after he was defeated by Ronald Reagan, but his return to Plains more than four decades ago gave the tiny southwest Georgia hamlet new purpose.
Now the town that helped forge the former president and his wife Rosalynn has turned into a living memorial for the 98-year-old as he spends his final days in home hospice. And around him, a community prepares to say goodbye to someone they know as more than a president, but a neighbor and a beloved friend.
They’ve seen him at the ice cream parlor grabbing soft-serve, taking strolls or puttering in a golf cart with his wife Rosalynn down the main drag, grabbing a bite at the café.
