When the news broke that Ethel Kennedy had passed away at 96, it felt like the final thread of a certain kind of American era had finally snapped. We’ve seen the Kennedy family in mourning so many times that it almost feels like a recurring scene in a movie. But this was different. The Ethel Kennedy funeral photos that emerged from the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, D.C., and the private service in Cape Cod captured something more than just a family saying goodbye. They captured a rare moment of political unity that honestly doesn’t exist anywhere else in the world right now.
You’ve probably seen the headline shots: three U.S. presidents—Joe Biden, Barack Obama, and Bill Clinton—sitting side-by-side in a wooden pew. It’s a powerful image. But if you look closer at the wider shots, the story gets a lot more human.
The Washington Memorial vs. The Cape Cod Burial
There’s been some confusion online about where the actual "funeral" took place. Basically, it was a two-part event. First, there was a private funeral Mass on October 14, 2024, at Our Lady of Victory Church in Centerville, Massachusetts. This was the intimate family goodbye. About 200 people showed up, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cheryl Hines.
The big public event—the one that generated most of the Ethel Kennedy funeral photos you’re seeing on social media—was the "Celebration of Life" held on October 16 at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle. This location was hugely symbolic. It’s the same spot where the funeral for John F. Kennedy was held in 1963. In fact, Ethel’s casket was placed in the exact same spot where JFK’s once rested.
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Who Actually Showed Up?
The guest list was a wild mix of "who’s who" and old family friends.
- The Presidents: Biden, Obama, and Clinton weren't just there for the cameras; they all gave eulogies. Biden’s was particularly raw. He talked about how Ethel and Ted Kennedy helped him through the darkest period of his life after his first wife and daughter died in a car accident.
- The Musicians: Stevie Wonder sang "Isn’t She Lovely," which is kind of an upbeat choice for a memorial, but it fit the vibe of "celebrating" a 96-year-old fireball. Sting was there too, performing "Fragile."
- The Family: With 9 surviving children, 34 grandchildren, and 24 great-grandchildren, the Kennedy clan filled the first few rows. You can see the heavy emotion in the photos of Kerry Kennedy and Joe Kennedy III, who both spoke.
Why These Photos Look Different Than Past Kennedy Funerals
If you compare these photos to the grainy, black-and-white shots of RFK’s funeral in 1968, the mood is startlingly different. Back then, the images were defined by shock and a sense of "what now?"
In 2024, the Ethel Kennedy funeral photos show a family and a country looking backward with a bit more peace. There’s a photo of Bill Clinton holding a handmade Valentine Ethel had sent him. It’s a small, quirky detail that reminds you she wasn’t just a "matriarch"—she was a person who loved pranks and stayed connected to people through decades of political shifts.
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The Controversies Behind the Scenes
Honestly, it wasn’t all perfect unity. If you look at the photos of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. arriving, you might notice a bit of a distance. At the time of the funeral, RFK Jr. was in the middle of a very public break with his siblings over his political endorsements. Some people were scanning the crowd to see if there was any visible tension.
While the photos show a united front, the body language in some of the candid shots of the siblings standing outside the cathedral tells a more complex story. They are a family that has dealt with more drama than a primetime soap opera, yet they still show up. That’s the "Kennedy way," I guess.
Practical Takeaways from Ethel's Legacy
If you’re looking at these photos and wondering what the real "point" was beyond the celebrity sightings, it’s about resilience. Ethel Kennedy lived through the assassination of her husband while she was pregnant with their 11th child. She never remarried. She spent 50 years running the RFK Human Rights organization.
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What we can learn from her final send-off:
- Symbols Matter: Choosing St. Matthew's wasn't an accident. It linked her final moment to the family's most significant historical tragedy, bringing the story full circle.
- Bipartisanship is Personal: Seeing three presidents together reminds us that personal relationships often outlast political cycles.
- Endurance Wins: At 96, she outlived almost all her peers. The photos show the power of simply staying the course.
If you want to find the highest-quality versions of these images, look for the credits from photographers like Mihoko Owada or the pool photos from the Associated Press. They captured the "in-between" moments—the grandchildren carrying the casket, the quiet whispers between former presidents—that the TV cameras often missed.
The next time you see a Kennedy event, it’ll likely be different. Ethel was the last of that specific guard. These photos aren't just news; they're a literal archive of the end of an era.
To see the full visual impact, you can browse the official archives at the Catholic Standard or the RFK Human Rights website, which have curated galleries showing the family's private moments during the Washington service.