NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — They were advocates for affordable housing, and it's what brought former First Lady Rosalynn and President Jimmy Carter to Music City in 2019.
Sherry Stinson with Habitat for Humanity was the project lead at the time.
"So we built 21 homes the week that they were here," she said.
It would be the last Carter Work Project the Carters attended.
"And they were never about the photo-ops. They were really about: How can I be a servant leader? How can I lead by example?" Stinson said.
Even in their 90s, the couple was hard at work.
"Garth Brooks has even said this: 'President Carter looked around and said you could be working a little harder,'" Stinson laughed.
At the preview of his new bar on Monday, Garth Brooks reflected on his time building homes with the former First Lady. "President Carter calls Miss Yearwood his second favorite Georgia Peach," he said.
According to Brooks, Trisha Yearwood calls the First Lady a "quiet warrior."
"And what she taught Miss Yearwood — who teaches us all — the lion doesn't have to roar and the statement doesn't have to be more than a few words to get your point across," he said.
"You know, she was so compassionate," said Stinson. "She would tear up and cry just about every time she talked to the families."
With each home she built, Rosalynn Carter built a legacy of her own — one that will live on in Music City.
"She was an amazing person and this world is a less place because she's gone," said Stinson.
