Thaindian News

By Samrat Banerjee

Aug 31 (IBNS) The final farewell was said to Edward M Kennedy Saturday, whose privileged life as a United States senator from Massachusetts lent consistent and passionate voice to the underprivileged for nearly 50 years.

He was the only one of four fabled Kennedy brothers to reach late adulthood. He was remembered for making the most of it.

Along the rain-dappled roadways of Boston in the late morning, and then in the sweltering humidity of Washington in early evening, people waited for the fleeting moment of a passing hearse so that they could pay respects to the man, also known as Ted.

At the United States Capitol, where Kennedy had served for so long, his wife, Victoria Reggie Kennedy, stepped out of a limousine to receive hugs, bow her head during prayers, and to hear the singing of “America the Beautiful.”

The gray rainy day began with a funeral Mass at a working-class Roman Catholic church in Boston where the senator had sometimes sought comfort, without entourage or advance notice.

Where he once reflected amid the hush of empty oak pews, there now sat hundreds gathered in his honor, including President Obama; three of the four living former presidents; dozens of foreign dignitaries and members of Congress; and, of course, people so familiar to Americans simply because they are Kennedys, it was reported.