ETHEL Kennedy, the widow of former New York Senator Robert F. Kennedy, has died at age 96.
Kennedy died on Thursday, a week after she suffered a stroke in her sleep, her grandson, Joe Kennedy III, announced.
GettyEthel Kennedy, the widow of former US Senator Robert F. Kennedy, has died at age 96[/caption]
HBOEthel Kennedy and her late husband, Robert F. Kennedy[/caption]
GettyEthel Kennedy was a human rights advocate[/caption]
Getty – ContributorThe Kennedy family pictured – Robert Kennedy holding baby Michael while posing with his wife and their children (Left to right) Bobby Jr., Kathleen, Courtney, David, & Joe[/caption]
“It is with our hearts full of love that we announce the passing of our amazing grandmother, Ethel Kennedy,” Kennedy III wrote.
“She died this morning from complications related to a stroke suffered last week.
“Along with a lifetime’s work in social justice and human rights, our mother leaves behind nine children, 34 grandchildren, and 24-great grandchildren, along with numerous nieces and nephews, all of whom love her dearly.”
The statement continued, “She was a devout Catholic and a daily communicant, and we are comforted in knowing she is reunited with the love of her life, our father, Robert F. Kennedy; her children David and Michael; her daughter-in-law Mary; her grandchildren Maeve and Saoirse; and her great-grandchildren Gideon and Josie.
“Please keep her in your hearts and prayers.”
KENNEDY MATRIARCH
Kennedy was a prominent human rights advocate, establishing the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights shortly after her husband’s assassination in 1968.
The Kennedy matriarch was hospitalized on October 3 after suffering a stroke in her sleep, Joe announced in a statement on Tuesday.
“She is comfortable, she is getting the best care possible, and she is surrounded by family,” he said at the time.
“She is, as you may know, a strong woman who has led a remarkably fulfilling life.
“We are here looking after her.”
Kennedy’s death comes decades after her husband, Robert F. Kennedy, was assassinated in Los Angeles on June 6, 1968, in the middle of his presidential campaign trail.
RFK, also known as Bobby Kennedy, addressed supporters at the Ambassador Hotel shortly after winning the California and South Dakota primaries.
After giving an impactful speech and thanking his supporters, RFK proceeded to exit the hotel through a kitchen passageway, only to be shot by a 24-year-old Palestinian, Sirhan Sirhan.
RFK was shot three times, including once in the back of the head. Five others were wounded, including his campaign labor chair.
He died from his injuries on June 6, 1968, at age 42. He was three months into his presidential campaign.
The killing of RFK came almost five years after the assassination of his older brother, President John F. Kennedy, in Dallas on November 22, 1963.
Ethel Kennedy became a widow at age 40, having to care for her 11 children.
Family’s statement on Ethel Kennedy
It is with our hearts full of love that we announce the passing of our amazing grandmother, Ethel Kennedy.
She died this morning from complications related to a stroke suffered last week.
Along with a lifetime’s work in social justice and human rights, our mother leaves behind nine children, 34 grandchildren, and 24 great-grandchildren, along with numerous nieces and nephews, all of whom love her dearly.
She was a devout Catholic and a daily communicant, and we are comforted in knowing she is reunited with the love of her life, our father, Robert F. Kennedy; her children David and Michael; her daughter-in-law Mary; her grandchildren Maeve and Saoirse; and her great-grandchildren Gideon and Josie.
Please keep her in your hearts and prayers.
Born on April 11, 1928, Kennedy and her siblings were raised in Greenwich, Connecticut, by mom Ann Brannack, a former teacher, and dad George Skakel, a railway clerk.
However, her family suffered a devastating tragedy when her parents died in a plane crash in 1955.
She began her college education at Manhattanville College, where she met and roomed with her eventual sister-in-law, Jean Kennedy.
Kennedy was formally introduced to Robert F. Kennedy during a ski weekend at Mont Tremblant in Quebec in December 1945.
There, she met RFK’s brother and future US president, John F. Kennedy.
Kennedy accepted RFK’s proposal after graduating in 1949 and married four months later in Greenwich.
POLITICAL FAMILY DYNASTY
Her husband’s family was no stranger to politics, and it was during their marriage that Kennedy immersed herself in the political world.
Patriarch Joe Kennedy, a Harvard graduate, was a leading member of the Democratic Party and served as chairman of the US Maritime Commission under Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration.
RFK was brought into the spotlight in the late 1950s as a razor-sharp attorney who declared war on organized crime in the US.
He famously squared off with Teamsters Union president Jimmy Hoffa during the Senate Rackets Committee between 1957 and 1959.
During his time in the Senate Rackets Committee, Ethel Kennedy attended almost every hearing.
She appeared in front of the media, beaming with energy and humor and always campaigning tirelessly for her husband and other Kennedys.
Ethel Kennedy would support her husband every step of the way, including when he stepped down as chief counsel of the rackets committee to join his brother’s presidential campaign.
After winning the election, JFK appointed his younger brother as US attorney general despite having no political experience.
RFK continued his relentless attack on organized crime as attorney general and helmed successful convictions against prominent mob figures.
After his brother’s assassination in 1963, RFK resigned as attorney general and ran for the US Senate from New York.
As New York’s Senator, RFK was committed to assisting underprivileged children and students with disabilities, improving living conditions, and creating employment opportunities.
RFK was also dedicated to advancing human rights abroad, a goal Kennedy carried and continued to illustrate years after her husband’s assassination in June 1968.
Kennedy remained devoted to the prominent political family and never remarried after her husband’s assassination.
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