Rosalynn Carter, former US first lady and tireless humanitarian who advocated for mental health issues, dies at 96

She set an excellent example in many ways. Rest in Power.

Rosalynn worked tirelessly in the bid to re-elect her husband to a second term in 1980 — a campaign Jimmy lost to Ronald Reagan, a former Hollywood star and governor of California who represented the ascendant conservative movement.

She was said to have been gutted by her husband’s loss and the apparent repudiation of his presidency by so many voters. But she made it clear to political reporters that she was trying to look to the future.

“I think you accept it,” Rosalynn was quoted as saying in a November 1980 article by the longtime UPI reporter Helen Thomas. “When you’ve done all you possibly can do, that’s all you can do. It was out of our hands.”

She pledged to “speak out” on the issues close to her heart, adding: “You go from one phase of your life to the next phase of life. … I think it’s going to be exciting.”

The next phase of Rosalynn Carter’s life proved to be fruitful. She wrote several books, including the 1984 memoir “First Lady From Plains” as well as three books about mental health.