Read former President Gerald Ford’s full eulogy for Jimmy Carter

On Thursday national funeral service for the former president Jimmy Carter at the National Cathedral in Washington, Steve Ford delivered a moving eulogy prepared many years ago by his father, former President Gerald Ford, who died in 2006. Carter defeated Ford in the 1976 presidential election.

At the end of my dad’s life, dad and President Carter were talking on the phone, and dad asked President Carter if he would deliver the eulogy at dad’s funeral. President Carter graciously agreed and then asked if Dad would deliver the eulogy at President Carter’s funeral.

Now Dad was delighted that he had agreed. As you can imagine, after this conversation, the two hung up and had a good laugh, wondering which of them would come back in person to give a second eulogy. As you know, Dad passed away in 2006, and President Carter’s eulogy continues to bring comfort, smiles, laughter, joy and pride to our family. So on behalf of my dad, I’m honored to share my dad’s eulogy to his old friend.

I can already see my dad taking out his yellow notebook and writing this for his beloved friend. —Steve Ford

The fate of the short season made Jimmy Carter and I rivals. But in the many wonderful years that followed, friendship united us as no two presidents since John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. President Adams’ last words are said to have been, “Thomas Jefferson is still alive.” Now that Jimmy has a good decade under his belt, I’ll hedge my bets by entrusting my memories of Jimmy to my son Steve.

According to the map, it’s a long way between Grand Rapids, Michigan and Plains, Georgia. But distances tend to disappear when measured in values ​​rather than miles, and it was because of our shared values ​​that Jimmy and I respected each other as adversaries even before we began to value each other as dear friends.

Not to say Jimmy never got under my skin, but has there ever been a group of politicians who wouldn’t do that to each other? During our 1976 competition, Jimmy knew my political weaknesses and pointed them out effectively. I didn’t like it, but I couldn’t have known that the outcome of the 1976 election would result in one of my deepest and most enduring friendships.

In the summer of 1981, the two of us met again, this time aboard Air Force One, going to the funeral of the great peacemaker Anwar Sadat. There is an old saying that two presidents in one sitting is one too many. Honestly, I wondered how awkward such a long flight to Cairo could be – and it was a long flight, but the return trip wasn’t long enough. Because it was somewhere across the Atlantic that Jimmy and I forged a friendship that transcends politics.

We immediately decided to take advantage of one of the former president’s privileges, forgetting that either of us had ever said any harsh words to the other in the heat of the moment. We then moved on to much more enjoyable topics, talking about our families, our faith, sharing our experiences, and discovering that there is indeed life after the White House.

We expressed sympathy for the high costs of building presidential libraries and the even more regrettable fact that most of the fundraising for these otherwise admirable institutions fell to us personally. Once there, we agreed to participate in each other’s programs at each other’s libraries, starting with a series of conferences on arms control. And if that wasn’t noteworthy enough, we told reporters on the plane that lasting peace in the Middle East would require the United States to make difficult decisions, such as directly confronting the Palestinian issue, thus building on the work he literally devoted himself to President Sadat his life. It was the first, but by no means last, time that our unlikely partnership shook the Washington establishment.

Now honesty and truth-telling were synonymous with the Jimmy Carter name. These qualities were instilled in him by his loving parents, Lillian and Earl Carter, and his integrity was strengthened by his upbringing in the rural South, on the cusp of social transformation. He demonstrated this integrity throughout his life as a naval officer, state legislator, governor, president and world leader.

For Jimmy Carter, honesty was not a goal to which he aspired; it was part of his soul. Now I think Jimmy has written more books than any former president. When asked if he really enjoyed writing, he replied with a familiar twinkle in his eye, “It’s better than picking cotton.” However, I think he liked writing for another reason: as an author, he was not under pressure to adapt his opinions to any political constituency or potential collaborator.

Now we have both experienced the harsh reality that election defeat can be painful. But we also learned a more important consequence: political failure and writing can also be liberating when they allow discussion of issues that are not necessarily aligned with short-term political popularity.

Now Jimmy learned early on that just witnessing in the pew on Sunday morning was not enough. Inspired by his faith, he strived for brotherhood beyond national boundaries, beyond tradition, and beyond caste boundaries. In American urban neighborhoods and rural villages around the world, he reminded us that Christ was a carpenter. And in the villages of the Third World he successfully campaigned – not for votes, but for the eradication of diseases that brought shame to the developed world while they destroyed the undeveloped world.

Now, of course, not all of Jimmy’s time was spent building houses, fighting disease, brokering ceasefires, and monitoring elections. Although Jimmy is probably the only former president to teach a weekly Bible class, I know for a fact that he is the only former president to have performed a duet of “On the Road Again” with Willie Nelson. Georgia wasn’t just in Jimmy’s head – it was in his blood. No matter how far he traveled, he never forgot where he came back and where he would eventually return to.

Of the many things that Jimmy and I had in common, the most important is this: we both married above each other… way above. With Jimmy every step of the way was his First Lady of the Plains. In a life rich in blessings, nothing was greater to Jimmy than the love he shared with Rosalynn and the love they both shared with their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Like Jimmy, Rosalynn was – and is – a symbol of American compassion. Like no other first lady in our history, Rosalynn Carter is indeed a true citizen of the world. And she became a beloved friend of my wife Betty, me and the entire Ford family. While Carter and Ford had a decidedly mixed track record when it came to lobbying Congress, Rosalynn and Betty were unmatched in their support of the millions of people they brought out of the shadows of despair and shame.

It was time to say goodbye – our sadness comforted by joy and thanksgiving for knowing this man, this beloved man, this special man. He was given the gift of years, and the American people and the people of the world will be forever blessed by his decades of good deeds.

Jimmy Carter’s legacy of peace and compassion will remain unique because it is timeless. From the entire Ford family, we send you our love and add our prayers to those of tens of millions of people around the world. May God bless and watch over this good man. May he give peace to the Carter family as they say goodbye to a man who lived a full life, with faith demonstrated in countless good deeds, with a mission richly fulfilled and a soul rewarded with eternal life.

As for me, Jimmy, I’m looking forward to our reunion. We have a lot of catching up to do.

Thank you, Mr. President. Welcome home, old friend.