Former President Jimmy Carter recently celebrated turning 95 on October 1, 2019, and it sounds like he’s just as surprised as anyone to have made it this long. While speaking to People in Nashville, Tennessee, he laughed and pointed out that he didn’t think he’d live this long, either.
Carter went on to credit wife Rosalynn and his Christian faith with boosting his longevity, telling People, “It’s hard to live until you’re 95 years old. I think the best explanation for that is to marry the best spouse: someone who will take care of you and engage and do things to challenge you and keep you alive and interested in life.”
President Carter and Rosalynn have been married for more than 70 years and have four children together. The two were in Nashville to discuss their ongoing commitment to Habitat for Humanity, and this year the two have helped build 21 houses for families in the Nashville area. Their work with Habitat began in 1984 when they joined a team for a bus ride to New York City, where they helped renovate a six-story apartment building. Thirty-six years later, the couple is still working hard with the organization.
When speaking on his devotion to Habitat for Humanity, President Carter explained, “One of the things Jesus taught was: If you have any talents, try to utilize them for the benefit of others. That’s what Rose and I have both tried to do.”
With their strong faith and marriage to guide them, the former president and his wife are often busy and have learned to savor quiet moments when they do have them. He noted, “Now when we have a quiet moment, like a birthday or something, we like to stay at home, just by ourselves, and enjoy a quiet day in our own house without any visitors and with minimum phone calls and emails coming in.”
Both President Carter and his wife are in more delicate states of health and commit to planning their events no more than one year in advance. The two currently plan to travel with Habitat to the Dominican Republic in 2020.