Family announces death of Ethel Kennedy at age 96; she was dedicated to her family, a legacy of her murdered husband – Catholic Standard

Ethel Kennedy – widow of the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy, human rights activist and mother of 11 children – died on October 10, her family said. She was 96 years old.

Kennedy was hospitalized after suffering a stroke on Oct. 3, her family said.

Former Rep. Joe Kennedy III, D-Mass., her grandson, said in a statement posted to X: “It is with our loving hearts that we announce the passing of our incredible grandmother, Ethel Kennedy.”

“She died this morning from complications related to a stroke suffered last week,” said Joe Kennedy. “Along with her lifelong work in social justice and human rights, our mother is survived by nine children, 34 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren, along with numerous nieces and nephews, all of whom love her deeply.”

Ethel Kennedy, he said, “was a devout Catholic and took communion daily, and we are comforted in knowing that she was reunited with the love of her life, our father, Robert F. Kennedy; his sons David and Michael; his daughter-in-law Maria; his grandchildren Maeve and Saoirse; and his great-grandchildren Gideon and Josie.”

“Please keep her in your hearts and prayers,” he added.

In a statement, President Joe Biden called Ethel Kennedy “an American icon – a matriarch of optimism and moral courage, an emblem of resilience and service. Dedicated to her family and country, she had a backbone of steel and a heart of gold who inspired millions of Americans, including me and Jill.”

Biden praised her for “turning pain into purpose” after her husband’s murder and for “continuing her march toward civil rights and social justice, ending poverty at home and ensuring peace abroad — all all while raising her 11 children.”

“Four years later, when I lost my wife and young daughter, Ethel was always there for me and my children,” he said. “She helped us find strength and perseverance. She taught us how to channel pain in service of the greater good.”

According to her John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum biography, Ethel Skakel Kennedy was born on April 11, 1928, in Chicago, the daughter of George Skakel, a Protestant, and his devout Catholic wife, Ann Brannack Skakel. The family later moved to Connecticut when his father became a successful coal magnate. Ethel and Robert Kennedy were married on June 17, 1950, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Greenwich.

The matriarch of one of America’s most prominent political families not only lost her husband to an assassin’s bullet in 1968, but also her brother-in-law, President John F. Kennedy, in 1963.

When her husband was assassinated while seeking the Democratic nomination for president, Ethel Kennedy was pregnant with their youngest child, born six months after his death.

She later founded the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, which seeks to promote what it calls on its website “its unfinished work.”

In 2014, President Barack Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor bestowed by the U.S. government, for his work on diverse causes, including human rights, environmental protection and social justice.

Kennedy’s death came just weeks after his third son, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., ended his failed presidential campaign and endorsed former President Donald Trump, a move criticized by his family.