Ethel Kennedy, Widow Of Robert F. Kennedy, Dead At 96

Ethel Kennedy, widow of Robert F. Kennedy, has died at age 96 (via NBC). Her grandson, Joseph Kennedy III, posted the news on X (formerly known as Twitter). "It is with our hearts full of love that we announce the passing of our amazing grandmother, Ethel Kennedy," he 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."

Such a family tree justifies the title "matriarch" of the Kennedy family, even beyond Ethel being present at events that seem resigned to history. It was her husband, Robert F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1968 after serving as California senator and announcing his vie for president. This happened almost five years after Robert F. Kennedy's brother and Ethel's brother-in-law, JFK, was assassinated in Dallas, Texas in 1963. It was this double tragedy that spurred Ethel toward political activism and the preservation of the Kennedy family legacy, both of which she continued to do until her death. 

Ethel Kennedy (nee Skakel) could have never predicted what the future had in store for her when she met her future husband, Robert F. Kennedy, at a ski resort in Quebec in 1945. Even though he was dating her older sister, Patricia, at the time, he and Ethel hit it off and got married five years later in 1950. Over their 18 or so years of marriage, before Robert was assassinated in 1968, the two had an unbelievable 11 children together. She never remarried after Robert died and instead shifted her focus toward raising her family and carrying on their legacy. Many of her children went into politics, like her daughter Kathleen and sons Joseph and Robert. Jr.  

Ethel also founded the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights mere months after her husband was assassinated. The center, like Ethel herself, was involved in numerous instances of political activism over the decades. As the nonprofit's website says, she helped to "confront widespread abuses" related to imprisoned journalists, surveillance states, state-sanctioned torture, etc., across the world. Per the Obama White House, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama in 2014 for devoting her life to "advancing the cause of social justice, human rights, environmental protection, and poverty reduction by creating countless ripples of hope to effect change around the world."