Book excerpt: "Ethel Kennedy: The Extraordinary Life and Bold Legacy"
Kerry Kennedy writes of her mother's inspiring example, from before and after the assassination of her father, Robert F. Kennedy.
Ethel Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy were married for nearly 18 years and had 11 children together before he was assassinated in June 1968. In her memoir, Ethel Kennedy: The Extraordinary Life and Bold Legacy, her daughter Kerry Kennedy shares her mother's inspiring example before and after her father's death. An excerpt from the memoir is available below.
As the funeral train carrying Robert Kennedy's coffin left New York for Washington, D.C., it was a mile long, with one hundred thousand mourners lining the streets. Ethel Kennedy's face, covered in a black veil, appeared composed and serene as the family and friends knelt to pray. The singer Andy Williams, a close friend, sang "Ave Maria" a cappella, echoing through the cathedral. Ethel and her family believed that Robert was in Heaven and happy to be with his family.
On the funeral train, people from all walks of life - some dressed in suits, others in denim overalls, and a lot of women and girls in pastel summer dresses - were lined up to wave or show their mourning. The train was filled with family and friends, and Ethel was seen walking up and down the aisle, greeting old friends, comforting them in their grief, and keeping their spirits lifted through her social grace and aplomb.
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