CENTERVILLE, Mass. (AP) — Members of the Kennedy family gathered Monday for the funeral of Ethel Kennedy, the wife of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy.
Ethel Kennedy, who raised their 11 children after her husband was assassinated and remained dedicated to social causes and the family’s legacy, died on Thursday at age 96.
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Former U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy, center, grandson of the late Ethel Kennedy, departs Our Lady of Victory church following funeral services for Ethel Kennedy, wife of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Centerville, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Chris Kennedy, center, son of Ethel Kennedy, departs Our Lady of Victory church following funeral services for Ethel Kennedy, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Centerville, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Former U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy, center right above, grandson of the late Ethel Kennedy, speaks with Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, below left, as they depart Our Lady of Victory church following funeral services for Ethel Kennedy, wife of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Centerville, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Caroline Kennedy, center, daughter of Pres. John F. Kennedy, speaks with people as she departs Our Lady of Victory church following funeral services for Ethel Kennedy, wife of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Centerville, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Joseph Kennedy III, grandson of Ethel Kennedy, pauses on the steps of Our Lady of Victory church following funeral services for Ethel Kennedy, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Centerville, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Former Massachusetts U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy II, center left, son of the late Ethel Kennedy, speaks with fellow mourners outside Our Lady of Victory church, following funeral services for Ethel Kennedy, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Centerville, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Joseph Kennedy III, center right, grandson of Ethel Kennedy, hugs fellow mourners following funeral services at Our Lady of Victory church for Ethel Kennedy, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Centerville, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
James Kennedy, great grandson of Ethel Kennedy, wife of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, is seated in a vehicle that forms part of a funeral procession departing Our Lady of Victory church, following funeral services for Ethel Kennedy, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Centerville, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Mourners depart Our Lady of Victory church following funeral services for Ethel Kennedy, wife of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Centerville, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Joseph Kennedy III, center, grandson of Ethel Kennedy, speaks to his wife Lauren Birchfield, second right, following funeral services for Ethel Kennedy at Our Lady of Victory church, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Centerville, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, center, speaks with Monsignor Kenneth Velo, right, following funeral services for Ethel Kennedy, wife of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, at Our Lady of Victory church, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Centerville, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Mourners hug following funeral services for Ethel Kennedy, wife of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, at Our Lady of Victory church, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Centerville, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
A funeral procession departs Our Lady of Victory church following services for Ethel Kennedy, wife of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Centerville, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Former Massachusetts U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy II, center right, son of the late Ethel Kennedy, arrives at Our Lady of Victory church, for Ethel Kennedy's funeral, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Centerville, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
FILE - Robert F. Kennedy, 38-year-old American attorney general and brother of the late U.S. President, John F. Kennedy, is accompanied by his wife Ethel, leaving the U.S. Embassy for the airport in London, Jan. 25, 1964, to fly to Derbyshire to visit the grave of his sister who died in 1947 in a plane crash. (AP Photo/Laurence Harris, File)
Joseph Kennedy III, center right, grandson of the late Ethel Kennedy arrives at Our Lady of Victory church, for Ethel Kennedy's funeral, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Centerville, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
FILE - Ethel Kennedy, from the film "Ethel," poses for a portrait during the 2012 Sundance Film Festival on Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012, in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Victoria Will, File)
Pallbearers Max Kennedy, left, Chris Kennedy, behind center left, both sons of the late Ethel Kennedy, and Matt Kennedy, center front, and, Joseph Kennedy III, front second from right, both grandsons of Ethel Kennedy, carry her casket from Our Lady of Victory church, following funeral services, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Centerville, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Monday's funeral, which was closed to the public, took place at Our Lady of Victory, in Centerville, Massachusetts, about 70 miles (112 kilometers) south of Boston.
Mourners gathered at the church under a cool gray sky. Ethel Kennedy died following complications related to a stroke suffered earlier this month.
“Along with a lifetime’s work in social justice and human rights, our mother leaves behind nine children, 34 grandchildren and 24 great-great-grandchildren, along with numerous nieces and nephews, all of whom love her dearly,” the family statement said in announcing her death.
President Joe Biden called her “an American icon — a matriarch of optimism and moral courage, an emblem of resilience and service.”
The Kennedy matriarch, mother to Kathleen, Joseph II, Robert Jr., David, Courtney, Michael, Kerry, Christopher, Max, Douglas and Rory, was one of the last remaining members of a family generation that included President John F. Kennedy. Her family said she had recently enjoyed seeing many of her relatives before falling ill.
A millionaire’s daughter who married the future senator and attorney general in 1950, Ethel Kennedy had endured more death by the age of 40, for the whole world to see, than most people would in a lifetime.
She was by Robert F. Kennedy’s side when he was fatally shot in the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on June 5, 1968, just after winning California’s Democratic presidential primary. Her brother-in-law had been assassinated in Dallas less than five years earlier.
Ethel Kennedy went on to found the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights soon after her husband’s death and advocated for causes including gun control and human rights. She rarely spoke about her husband’s assassination.
Former U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy, center, grandson of the late Ethel Kennedy, departs Our Lady of Victory church following funeral services for Ethel Kennedy, wife of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Centerville, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Chris Kennedy, center, son of Ethel Kennedy, departs Our Lady of Victory church following funeral services for Ethel Kennedy, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Centerville, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Former U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy, center right above, grandson of the late Ethel Kennedy, speaks with Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, below left, as they depart Our Lady of Victory church following funeral services for Ethel Kennedy, wife of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Centerville, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Caroline Kennedy, center, daughter of Pres. John F. Kennedy, speaks with people as she departs Our Lady of Victory church following funeral services for Ethel Kennedy, wife of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Centerville, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Joseph Kennedy III, grandson of Ethel Kennedy, pauses on the steps of Our Lady of Victory church following funeral services for Ethel Kennedy, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Centerville, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Former Massachusetts U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy II, center left, son of the late Ethel Kennedy, speaks with fellow mourners outside Our Lady of Victory church, following funeral services for Ethel Kennedy, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Centerville, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Joseph Kennedy III, center right, grandson of Ethel Kennedy, hugs fellow mourners following funeral services at Our Lady of Victory church for Ethel Kennedy, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Centerville, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
James Kennedy, great grandson of Ethel Kennedy, wife of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, is seated in a vehicle that forms part of a funeral procession departing Our Lady of Victory church, following funeral services for Ethel Kennedy, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Centerville, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Mourners depart Our Lady of Victory church following funeral services for Ethel Kennedy, wife of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Centerville, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Joseph Kennedy III, center, grandson of Ethel Kennedy, speaks to his wife Lauren Birchfield, second right, following funeral services for Ethel Kennedy at Our Lady of Victory church, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Centerville, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, center, speaks with Monsignor Kenneth Velo, right, following funeral services for Ethel Kennedy, wife of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, at Our Lady of Victory church, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Centerville, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Mourners hug following funeral services for Ethel Kennedy, wife of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, at Our Lady of Victory church, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Centerville, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
A funeral procession departs Our Lady of Victory church following services for Ethel Kennedy, wife of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Centerville, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Former Massachusetts U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy II, center right, son of the late Ethel Kennedy, arrives at Our Lady of Victory church, for Ethel Kennedy's funeral, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Centerville, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
FILE - Robert F. Kennedy, 38-year-old American attorney general and brother of the late U.S. President, John F. Kennedy, is accompanied by his wife Ethel, leaving the U.S. Embassy for the airport in London, Jan. 25, 1964, to fly to Derbyshire to visit the grave of his sister who died in 1947 in a plane crash. (AP Photo/Laurence Harris, File)
Joseph Kennedy III, center right, grandson of the late Ethel Kennedy arrives at Our Lady of Victory church, for Ethel Kennedy's funeral, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Centerville, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
FILE - Ethel Kennedy, from the film "Ethel," poses for a portrait during the 2012 Sundance Film Festival on Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012, in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Victoria Will, File)
Pallbearers Max Kennedy, left, Chris Kennedy, behind center left, both sons of the late Ethel Kennedy, and Matt Kennedy, center front, and, Joseph Kennedy III, front second from right, both grandsons of Ethel Kennedy, carry her casket from Our Lady of Victory church, following funeral services, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Centerville, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
