Eunice Kennedy Shriver is Maria Shriver’s mother that she lost about two months ago. Not only her mom she lost, but a hero, role model and best friend, as well. Find out more on the grieving First Lady here.
The First Lady and wife of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, stood before an audience as the chair of the Women’s Conference during a luncheon session in Long Beach, California and stated that she was still broken-hearted after the passing of her mother.
As a biography, Eunice Mary Kennedy was born in Brookline, Massachusetts to Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. and Rose Fitzgerald on July 10, 1921 so her age was 88 the day she died on August 11, 2009. She was the fifth of nine children. She attended the Convent of the Sacred Heart, Roehampton, London England and Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York. In 1943, she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology from Stanford University. She also worked in the United States State Department for the Special War Problems Division. Thereafter, she became an executive secretary for the United States Justice Department. Before moving to Chicago in 1951, Kennedy worked as a social worker at the Federal Industrial Institution for Women for about a year, then moved to the “windy” city to work at the Chicago Juvenile Court and the House of the Good Shephard women’s shelter. In 1953 she married her husband Sargent Shriver on May 23 in New York City, New York at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. The couple had five children. Robert Sargent Shriver III was born on April 28, 1954, Maria Owings Shriver on November 6, 1955, Timothy Perry Shriver on August 29, 1959, Mark Kennedy Shriver on February 17, 1964 and Anthony Paul Kennedy Shriver on July 20, 1965. Furthermore, it was in 1962, Shriver was the advocate and founder of the Special Olympics. Shriver and Ann McGlone Burke promoted the Special Olympics which helped create its importance across the United States today. She also was very active in her older brother’s campaign success in 1960 during the presidential election for President John F. Kennedy. Shriver has been a supporter of several charities and has received numerous awards throughout her life. Shriver is said to have suffered from Addison’s disease. In 2005, she apparently had a stroke and fractured her hip. She stayed in Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston on November 18, 2007 for weeks. On August 7, 2009 she was taken to Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis where a few days later, she passed on August 11, 2009 with her family beside her.
In this conference, Maria Shriver and a panel of ladies; wife of former candidate elect Elizabeth Edwards, actress Susan Saint James, dancer Lisa Niemi, all of them lost someone very dear to them and were experiencing so many emotions. One most importantly, grief.
Eunice’s only daughter shared, “The real truth is that my mother’s death has brought me to my knees,” adding, “I had feared this my entire life. . . . She was my hero, my role model, my very best friend. I spoke to her every single day of my life. I tried really hard when I grew up to make her proud of me.”
This lovely leading lady spoke in 2007 and reflected on her incredible journey through life saying, “Most people believe I spent my whole life really interested in only one thing and that one thing is working to make the world a better place for people with intellectual disabilities.” What a heartwarming lady who had so much strength given her failing health throughout her later years.
Shriver touched so many lives and even she did not believe it too be enough. Such a great woman, and a great soul. Her family said that she was the light in their lives. She was a wonderful mother, wife, grandmother, sister, and aunt. Her family could not have asked for a better person to teach them the ways of life. She was very passionate with her surroundings and the people around her. Giving just was never enough. God bless her soul and may she rest in peace forever.
Not only is Eunice Kennedy Shriver a person that will never be forgotten, Maria Shriver’s mother will always be remembered for her mark in history and the way she touched so many lives.
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Photos: www.wenn.com