Obituary of Ethel F. Kennedy

It is with great sadness that the Kennedy Family announces the passing of the matriarch of their family, Ethel Kennedy, who passed peacefully in her home on September 30, 2024. Ethel was born to Thomas and Mildred Moran on June 16, 1935 in Delaware County, PA. She grew up in Pennsylvania and relocated to Cape May, NJ to raise her family, before spending her retirement years in Florida alongside her husband of 69 years, William Kennedy Sr., who passed before her in 2013. She is survived by her 4 children, William Kennedy Jr. (Gerry Kennedy), Linda Hilvert (Andy Hilvert), Michael Kennedy (Heather Kennedy), and Kathleen Amundsen (Harry Amundsen), her many grandchildren and their spouses, her cherished great-grandchildren, as well as many beloved friends and many, many extended family members. Ethel, or Mommom as she was affectionately known, loved to play Bingo or a good game of Pinochle. She was an avid movie watcher but preferred to watch any episode of her favorite show, The Young and The Restless. She loved animals, especially dogs, and was happy to have had a few special dogs of her own over the years. She spent her golden years with the love of her life, traveling the world on cruise ships and getting to see some of the wonders of the world, a few of her favorites being the pyramids in Egypt and Niagara Falls. She loved Disney World and took many family vacations there before becoming an official cast member, working in the Star Wars and Indiana Jones gift shops. Though she loved living in Florida, Cape May always felt like her home and she found her way back. She enjoyed taking rides over to the bay to watch the ferries come and go. In her later years, she found joy in spending time with her family and meeting all of the new babies in her life. She loved company and could talk your ear off. She appreciated her aides, Kate and Colleen, who became more like family. She was a proud Catholic and attended church until circumstances made it harder to leave the house, at which time she invited a member of the church to come each Sunday to receive communion. She believed she would see her husband again and our entire family knows that without a doubt, he was there waiting to greet her. Ethel donated monthly to St. Jude's Children's Hospital. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to St. Jude's in her honor or to The Cape May County Animal Shelter for her love of animals. Ethel will join her husband and share their final resting place among the waves of the Atlantic Ocean, which was her wish for them. A bench will be dedicated to Ethel and William Kennedy along the Delaware Bay for people to sit a while and enjoy a sunset.