Kennedy Family Honors Granddaughter Maeve and Her Son Gideon One Year After Tragic Deaths
Maeve Townsend Kennedy McKean and her son Gideon McKean are being remembered by their loved ones on the 1-year anniversary of their tragic deaths.
On Friday, April 2, the Kennedy-McKean family announced via email the launch of the Maeve and Gideon website, which will serve as a "virtual scrapbook of their lives and those who loved them," the website reads.
Additionally, people can learn about and support the fellowships, fundraisers and other charitable endeavors being carried out in their names on the site.
"This has been the most painful year, filled with grief and mourning, for us, and for so many others around the world," the email read, according to People. "Maeve and Gideon were beautiful, bubbly, caring, people, and we have been so grateful for the outpouring of love from all of those whose lives they touched."
Numerous photos have been shared of the granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy and her son, who were social distancing at her mother, former Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend's, home near Annapolis at the time of their deaths.
Maeve's husband David McKean previously told The Washington Post that his wife and 8-year-old son had gone out on the canoe to retrieve a ball when they were swept away by the choppy waters of the Chesapeake Bay. He explained, "They just got farther out than they could handle and couldn't get back in."
The day after the pair went missing, David thanked everyone for their support and gave everyone an update on how his two younger children, Gabriella and Toby, were coping with the loss.
"At seven, Gabriella is heartbroken, but she amazes me with her maturity and grace," he shared. "Toby is two-and-a-half, so he's still his usual magical and goofy self. I know soon he will start to ask for Maeve and Gideon. It breaks my heart that he will not get to have them as a mother and brother."
The father also implored their family and friends to help him and his children navigate this new chapter in their lives, writing, "As Gabriella and Toby lay sleeping next to me last night, I promised them that I would do my best to be the parent that Maeve was, and to be the person that Gideon clearly would have grown up to be. Part of that is keeping their memories alive. Any help with that would be welcome."