When it comes to love, people either believe in true love or that love can withstand any obstacles. But no matter what, there is one couple in general who embodies true love the very best. Former US President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn Carter, were married for more than 77 years, meeting for the first time when they were only babies.Sadly, their love story ended Sunday, as Rosalynn passed away at age 96. They were together until the end and never stopped loving each other.

Two years ago, for their 75th anniversary, Jimmy and Rosalynn sat down for an interview about their marriage. And, of course, the couple revealed new things about their marriage and what was still making it unique every day.

Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter knew each other from the day she was born.

His mother, Lillian Carter, was working as a nurse when, one day, her neighbor, Frances Smith, went into labor. Lillian decided to help deliver the baby – and Eleanor Rosalynn was born.

The following day, Rosalynn met Jimmy, then three years old, for the first time. It was the beginning of a lifelong journey they would embark on together, including a stint in the White House and much more.
Jimmy Carter & Rosalynn Carter – a 77-year love story
Jimmy and Rosalynn grew up in the rural town of Plains, Georgia, home to only 600 people. She initially became best friend’s with Jimmy’s sister, Ruth, but it wasn’t until they became teenagers that Jimmy and Rosalynn began to notice each other. Jimmy grew up and decided he wanted to embark on a career in the military. Before joining the United States Naval Academy, he attended Georgia Southwestern College and the Georgia Institute of Technology.

He served as a submariner in both the Atlantic and Pacific, rising to the rank of lieutenant. Carter received his B.S. degree in 1946 – and by that stage, a girl back home had grown fond of him.

By the time Jimmy left Plains for the United States Naval Academy, Rosalynn Carter had already fallen in love with him. In the 2020 book What Makes a Marriage Last, Rosalynn described how she saw a photograph of him that his sister, Ruth, had on her bedroom wall.

“I didn’t know a single boy I thought I’d want to spend my life with until Jimmy Carter came calling,” Rosalynn explained.

When Jimmy returned to Plains on a break from the Naval Academy, his then-girlfriend was away at a family reunion, meaning he missed the opportunity to see her.

“I was cruising around with my sister, Ruth, and her boyfriend, just looking for a date, and I picked up Rosalynn in front of the Methodist church,” Jimmy recalled in What Makes a Marriage Last.
“I just felt compatible with her. She was beautiful and innocent, and there was a resonance. We rode in the rumble seat of a Ford pickup – Ruth and her boyfriend in the front – and I kissed her on that first date. I remember that vividly.”

“The moon was full in the sky, conversation came easy, and I was in love,” Rosalynn wrote in her memoir First Lady from Plains about their first date.

Jimmy Carter & Rosalynn Carter – marriage, children
Jimmy and Rosalynn began dating in 1945 – and never left each other’s side. The couple married on July 7, 1946, and despite Jimmy being deployed to different parts of the world, she followed him everywhere.

But the fact that the couple married so quickly wasn’t always on the cards. In fact, when Jimmy asked her to marry him for the first time in February, Rosalynn said no. That was because of the promise the then-future first lady had made to her father, who passed away when she was 13, that she would graduate from college before marrying.

While she eventually broke that promise, nothing can hold back true love.

“From then until late May, she maintained, ‘No,’” Carter told Oprah in 2015. “I kept trying, and finally, she said okay.”

Jimmy and Rosalynn welcomed three children in the next six years. Jack was born in 1947, Chip in 1950, and Jefferey in 1952. Later, in 1967, they welcomed their fourth child and only daughter, Amy Lynn.

While life had become quieter for the couple, they also had difficulties. Jimmy and Rosalynn had trouble adjusting to marriage like many couples, which the former president spoke about in an interview with Playboy.