Eunice Shriver Critically Ill

Special Olympian: she was 'Queen of humanity'

(NEWSER) - At today's funeral Mass for Eunice Kennedy Shriver, daughter Maria called her a “trailblazer” who “was scary smart and not afraid to show it,” the Cape Cod Times reports. Oprah Winfrey, Stevie Wonder, Joe Biden, and Arnold Schwarzenegger attended the private service for the Special Olympics founder at the Kennedy family church in Hyannis, Mass. Her only surviving brother, Sen. Ted Kennedy, was too ill to attend. More»

Hundreds honor founder of Special Olympics

(NEWSER) - Several hundred people mourned Eunice Kennedy Shriver at a wake today in Massachusetts, the Cape Cod Times reports. Husband Sargent Shriver, daughter Maria, and son-in-law Arnold Schwarzenegger were joined by family, friends, and others appreciative of Shriver’s advocacy for the disabled through the Special Olympics. "Eunice's life was such an example of the best of our country," said Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The funeral at 10am tomorrow will be streamed live at www.eunicekennedyshriver.org. More»

95-year-old Kennedy in-law admitted to hospital

(AP) - Former Peace Corps director and vice-presidential nominee R. Sargent Shriver was in critical condition this morning after being admitted yesterday to a Maryland hospital, a family spokeswoman said. No other details about the 95-year-old's ailment were released, but Shriver announced in 2003 that he had Alzheimer's disease. More»

(NEWSER) - Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the 88-year-old sister of John F. Kennedy and the founder of the Special Olympics, died at Cape Cod Hospital early today, the Wall Street Journal reports. Shriver had been in critical condition for a week. Inspired by the struggles of her mentally disabled sister Rosemary, Shriver spent much of her life championing the rights of the disabled. The devoutly religious Catholic also often campaigned on behalf of her brothers. More»

Kennedy in-law honored for life of service

(NEWSER) - His 19 grandchildren read short remembrances, U2 frontman Bono led mourners in singing "Forever Young" and fond memories and laughter filled a funeral service for R. Sargent Shriver, the 95-year-old statesman laid to rest this weekend. Shriver, who served as the Peace Corps' first director for brother-in-law John Kennedy and served as a running mate on an ill-fated Democratic presidential ticket, was buried last evening in a Massachusetts cemetery just hours after his funeral in suburban Washington, the AP reports. More»