Kyle Kennedy, granddaughter of Robert F Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy, has died aged 42.
Kyle, the daughter of Michael Kennedy, who died in 1997, and Victoria Gifford Kennedy, “passed away peacefully” on September 21 at her home in Westwood, Massachusetts, according to her obituary published by Burke Funeral Homes.
The cause of his death is pending, the Westwood town clerk told the Guardian.
Born July 6, 1984, in Washington, D.C., Kyle Kennedy spent much of his education in Cohasset, Massachusetts before pursuing a career as an educator. Her obituary stated that she was dedicated to early childhood education and had worked on education reform for disadvantaged children and later championed the cause of people with disabilities.
After graduating from college, she taught in New York City public schools through the Teach for America program, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Georgetown University, a master of science in early childhood education from Pace University, and a master of education in education policy and management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
In August 2012, she married Liam Kerr in Boston, with whom she had three children: Conor, Josie and Declan. The obituary refers to Kerr as Kyle’s “former husband.”
A sports enthusiast and long-distance runner, Kyle ran the 2019 Boston Marathon in “pouring rain,” finishing the race 20 minutes faster than her father.
A year later, she suffered a severe spinal cord injury that “resulted in long-term paralysis, disability and other medical problems.” According to her obituary, her final years “brought difficulties, but Kyle fought to maintain her dry wit and determination through it all, trying to be the best mother possible to her sons.”
Around this time, she began advocating for people with disabilities, “including testifying at the Massachusetts State House during a hearing on discrimination in health care for people with disabilities.”
Kyle is survived by his sons, Conor, 12, and Declan, 10; her former husband, Liam; his mother, Victoria; his brother Michael; sister Rory; as well as his nephews and nieces McKie, Quinn, Jack and Caleb.
The funeral took place privately.
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