AUSTIN, Texas — At Freddy Fletcher’s property, he has a wall paying tribute to lives well-lived: photographs, records and newspaper clippings that honor the work of his legendary uncle Willie Nelson and his mother Bobbie, who was a pianist in Willie’s band.
The two Nelsons formed a special bond with former President Jimmy Carter, connecting over the statesman’s love of music.
Willie Nelson visited the White House a few times and also shared the stage with Carter.
“I remember him coming to a few shows, the first time I ever saw Secret Service was in Atlanta, Georgia at a Willie concert,” Fletcher said. “And it was kind of weird because Jimmy and Rosalynn came out on stage and it was a lot of Secret Service.”
Fletcher himself remembers meeting Carter twice.
“It wasn’t like you were really sitting there talking to a president or a former president, it was like you’re talking to a very kind man,” Fletcher said.
Fletcher believes that humble spirit is why their friendship struck a chord.
“Carter was a peanut farmer and Willie and my mom grew up … we didn’t own farms but they worked on them, in farming communities,” Fletcher said. “And it’s hard work. And you appreciate that. So there’s a common bond just from their beginnings.”
Fletcher credits Carter’s devotion to humanitarianism as a defining trait of his legacy, but says his death goes beyond politics.
“He was a good man,” Fletcher said. “And I think, to me, that carries more weight than what he did politically, because he did it for the right reasons.”
The President and his wife also led the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project for Habitat for Humanity, where they worked with volunteers to build, renovate and repair homes. Next year, the Austin Habitat for Humanity will host the project, and they will start construction on what will be the first geothermal neighborhood in the country in eastern Travis County.