On June 17, 1950, Bobby Kennedy, a name recognized across the nation, wed Ethel Skakel.
Together, they welcomed 11 children into the world: Kathleen, Joseph II, Robert Jr., David, Courtney, Michael, Kerry, Christopher, Maxwell, Douglas, and Rory.
Tragically, Ethel was expecting their youngest, Rory, when Bobby was assassinated on June 6, 1968, soon after claiming victory in the California Democratic primary.
David Kennedy’s life was cut short by a drug overdose on April 25, 1984, at just 28 years old. Meanwhile, Michael Kennedy met a fatal end on December 31, 1997, following a skiing accident in Aspen, Colorado, where he collided with a tree while playing a game of catch. He left behind three children with his wife, Victoria Gifford.
Though her husband passed away when their oldest was merely 16, Ethel Kennedy became the matriarch of a sprawling family, eventually becoming a grandmother to 34. Sadly, two of her grandchildren have passed away: Saoirse Hill, the 22-year-old daughter of Courtney and Paul Hill, died from an accidental drug overdose in 2019, and Maeve Kennedy McKean, daughter of Kathleen and David Townsend, tragically drowned in a canoeing mishap at 40 in 2020.