Family and friends are paying their final respects to Saoirse Kennedy Hill who died of a suspected drug overdose last week.
Guests gathered at Our Lady of Victory Church in Centerville, Massachusetts, on Monday morning to say goodbye to the 22-year-old — who was the daughter of Courtney Kennedy Hill and granddaughter of the late Robert F Kennedy.
Sairose’s mother Courtney was seen embracing family members outside the church, while the 22-year-old’s father Paul Hill could be seen in tears as he placed his hand on the hearse carrying his daughter’s body.
Her grandmother, 91-year-old Ethel Kennedy, was also at the funeral. According to the Boston Globe, the funeral service was followed by a private burial service for Saoirse’s close family members.
It was “a service full of hope and laughter and love, and a service in celebration of a wonderful young woman who filled the world with her adventurous spirit,” one mourner said, according to the publication.
At the service Saoirse’s uncle Robert F Kennedy Junior spoke out about the tragic passing of his niece in a heartfelt eulogy, reportedly saying: “If anybody wondered whether God loves the Kennedy family, the proof is that he gave us Saoirse.
“We shouldn’t be sad… we should be grateful we had her for 22 seasons.”
Her uncle Timothy P. Shriver also paid tribute to his niece, adding: “We thank you Paul and Courtney for sharing this extraordinary gift with us, we really felt like she was ours and in so many ways, she was.”
Meanwhile a touching poem inside the program for the funeral service paid tribute to Saoirse’s laughter and smile, Cape Cod Times reporter Jason Kolnos tweeted.
Paramedics were reportedly called to the family compound to reports of a suspected drug overdose around 2.30pm last Thursday (local time), where they found a patient in cardiac arrest. While the patient was then rushed to Cape Cod Hospital, she was tragically later pronounced dead.
According to multiple US reports, Saoirse was found in the home belonging to her grandmother.