Ethel Kennedy, RFK’s Widow and Activist, Passes Away at 96

(ProsperNews.net) – Ethel Kennedy, a longtime human rights advocate and widow of the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy, passed away on Thursday at the age of 96. Her death followed complications from a stroke she suffered last week. Her grandson, former Massachusetts Congressman Joe Kennedy III, announced the news on social media.

In a heartfelt post, he wrote, “It is with our hearts full of love that we announce the passing of our amazing grandmother, Ethel Kennedy. Along with a lifetime’s work in social justice and human rights, our mother leaves behind nine children, 34 grandchildren, and 24 great-grandchildren, all of whom love her dearly.”

Ethel Skakel Kennedy was born on April 11, 1928, in Chicago to coal magnate George Skakel and his wife, Ann Brannack. Tragedy struck her early in life when both of her parents were killed in a 1955 plane crash. Her life took another devastating turn in 1968 when her husband, Robert F. Kennedy, was assassinated while campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination. She had been by his side that night, just after he won the California primary. Her brother-in-law, President John F. Kennedy, had been assassinated less than five years earlier in Dallas, adding to the profound personal losses the Kennedy family endured.

Despite the tragedies, Ethel Kennedy dedicated much of her life to social justice and human rights causes. Over the years, she also experienced personal grief with the loss of her son David in 1984, son Michael in a skiing accident in 1997, and granddaughter Saoirse Kennedy Hill in 2019 from a drug overdose.

A devout Catholic, she was known for her faith, attending mass daily. Her family, in their statement, expressed comfort in the belief that she is now reunited with Robert F. Kennedy, as well as her children and grandchildren who preceded her in death.

Ethel Kennedy’s passing marks the end of an era for one of America’s most iconic families, with her family remembering her as a loving mother, grandmother, and advocate for justice.