Ethel Kennedy, the wife of the late U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and a mainstay in American politics for decades, died on Thursday October 10 at age 96. She was a devout Catholic and a daily communicant, as the family is comforted in knowing she is reunited with the love of her life, her husband, Robert F. Kennedy, and her children David and Michael. Born Ethel Skakel on April 11, 1928, Kennedy was the daughter of wealthy Protestant coal magnate George Skakel and his wife, a faithful Catholic, Ann Brannack Skakel. Both of her parents died tragically in a plane accident in 1955. Ethel met her future husband, Robert F. Kennedy, at a ski resort in Canada in 1945 when she was 17 years old. The two eventually married in June 1950 at St. Mary Catholic Church in Greenwich, Connecticut. Deeply interested in politics, Kennedy was a staunch supporter of her husband’s career and also campaigned on behalf of her brother-in-law, John F. Kennedy, during his presidential campaigns. Kennedy’s husband, Robert, successfully campaigned for and won a seat in the U.S. Senate representing New York in 1964. He was assassinated on June 6, 1968, less than 24 hours after announcing that he had won two presidential primaries in California and South Dakota. Ethel Kennedy, who was by Robert’s side as he died, gave birth to their 11th and last child six months later. Together they had 11 children: Kathleen, Joseph II, Robert Jr, David, Courtney, Michael, Kerry, Christopher, Max, Douglas and Rory. She founded the Robert F Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights soon after husband’s death and advocated for causes including Gun Control, Special Olympics and the Earth Conservation Corps.
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