Funeral services for Mary Kennedy

  by DAVID B. CARUSOBEDFORD -- Mary Richardson Kennedy had been close to the Kennedys for much of her life, as a teenage friendship led to a marriage into one of America's most famous families.

But her death stirred tension between her relatives and the Kennedys, as they faced off in court over custody of her body and as they arranged separate memorial services for the 52-year-old architect, environmentalist and estranged wife of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The court dispute came hours before a wake at the suburban New York estate where she hanged herself Wednesday.

The Kennedys planned a funeral Saturday morning at a Roman Catholic church in her suburban New York hometown, followed by burial later in the day near the family's seaside compound in Hyannisport, Mass. Meanwhile, her siblings announced that they were planning a memorial service in Manhattan, though they didn't say when. But as mourners gathered at the brick mansion in Bedford for her wake Friday evening, one of her brothers-in-law sounded a note of unity.

"She loved everyone and she doesn't want fighting," Douglas Kennedy said. "... She loved for everyone to be together, which is what we're trying to do."

Earlier in the day, Robert Kennedy declined to speak about the legal dispute after emerging from a closed court session in White Plains, saying only, "It's all done." Lawyers for Mary Kennedy's siblings also declined to comment or didn't return phone calls.

One of Mary's brothers, Thomas Richardson, filed legal papers in White Plains on Thursday listing Robert Kennedy as the defendant. The medical examiner's office in Westchester County was told there were court proceedings related to custody of Mary Kennedy's body and waited for a court order before releasing it to a funeral home in Bedford, said county spokeswoman Donna Greene.

A judge sealed details of the legal dispute, which came on the day the Kennedys had announced their memorial plans for Mary, including the wake Friday evening.

Relatives, friends including "Curb Your Enthusiasm" creator-star Larry David and "CBS This Morning" co-host Gayle King, and other mourners - so many that some had to park on nearby side streets - converged to pay their respects. Two police cars were stationed at end of the long driveway, keeping reporters at a distance.

"Everyone loved her. She was part of our family," Douglas Kennedy said as he left the gathering. "She was the most organized, fun-loving person."

Mary had known the Kennedy family for decades, dating back to a teenage friendship with one of Robert's sisters, Kerry Kennedy. Mary and Robert married in 1994.

But they had been going through divorce proceedings since 2010, and Mary grappled for years with depression and alcohol.

"She struggled so hard, for so long, with mental illness, which so many Americans suffer with," Kerry Kennedy said in brief remarks to reporters Friday outside the church where the funeral was planned. "She fought with dignity, and in the end, the demons won."

Mary and Robert, the son of assassinated U.S. senator and Attorney General Robert Kennedy, had been living in separate homes. They had four children together.

"We're trying to take care of Bobby and Mary's kids. That's all that anyone should be caring about," Douglas Kennedy said.

Records in the couple's divorce case are sealed, but the public docket sheet showed that Robert Kennedy's lawyers had sought a contempt order in the case last summer, indicating a dispute between the two sides.

American Express also sued Mary Kennedy in April, claiming she owed $32,624 in unpaid bills. Her lawyers didn't respond to inquiries about that lawsuit.

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Caruso reported from New York City.

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Mary Richardson Kennedy dead of apparent suicide

  JIM FITZGERALDBEDFORD -- Mary Richardson Kennedy's life had both highlights and troubled moments, just like other members of the famous political family she married into in 1994.

She was an architect who struggled with drug and alcohol abuse, and was the estranged wife of Robert Kennedy Jr.

The 52-year-old mother of four was found dead Wednesday, adding to the list of Kennedy family tragedies.

Her body was discovered at family property in suburban New York City. An autopsy determined the cause of death to be asphyxiation due to hanging.

The former Mary Richardson married Robert Kennedy Jr., a prominent environmental lawyer and the son of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy, in 1994 aboard a boat in the scenic Hudson River Valley. The couple had four children, the youngest born in July 2001. Robert Kennedy Jr. also has two children from a previous marriage.

She was an architect and designer and had overseen the renovation of the couple's home into an environmentally advanced showpiece.

In a statement issued by Robert Kennedy Jr.'s chief of staff, the family said Mary Kennedy "inspired our family with her kindness, her love, her gentle soul and generous spirit.

"Mary was a genius at friendship, a tremendously gifted architect and a pioneer and relentless advocate of green design who enhanced her cutting edge, energy efficient creations with exquisite taste and style," the family said.

Her family cited her devotion to her children in remembering her.

"We deeply regret the death of our beloved sister Mary, whose radiant and creative spirit will be sorely missed by those who loved her," the family said in a statement issued by attorney Kerry Lawrence. "Our heart goes out to her children who she loved without reservation."

Mary Richardson had known the Kennedys for years, through her friendship with Robert Kennedy Jr.'s sister, Kerry Kennedy, whom she met at boarding school when they were teenagers. She had been Kerry Kennedy's maid of honor at her wedding in 1990 to now-Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The couple later divorced.

But recent years had seen darker moments.

She had had trouble with drugs and alcohol and had two high-profile arrests around the time her husband filed for divorce in 2010.

Kennedy was first arrested May 15 of that year on a charge of driving while intoxicated after a police officer reported seeing her drive her car over a curb near the family's Bedford home. Her only passenger was a dog, and police said she had a blood-alcohol level of 0.11 percent; the legal limit is 0.08 percent. Her license was suspended.

At the time of her sentencing, famous family and friends spoke in support of her.

Her mother-in-law, Ethel Kennedy, wrote in a letter that she "is a caring, nourishing mother who has nursed her four children through lifelong bouts of debilitating allergies," according to an account in the local newspaper, The Journal News, at the time.

Kerry Kennedy, in her letter, said, "When I look at my three daughters, my wish for them is that they are as blessed as I have been to have a companion, a confidante, a friend, like Mary Richardson."

Mary Kennedy was charged later that year with driving under the influence of drugs, but that charge was dismissed in July 2011 when a judge said the evidence showed she didn't know the medications she had taken would impair her ability to drive.

There were indications her troubles started earlier. In 2007, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. drove his wife to a hospital for treatment, but she resisted and ran from the car, according to the Journal News, which cited Mount Kisco police records.

"I remember she was acting kind of out of it, kind of crazy," a witness, Rae Kesten, told The Journal News in 2007. "She was running into the street and flailing her arms around. He was trying to restrain her. I didn't know if they were fighting or not, but I was concerned."

The unexpected death of another person connected to the storied Kennedy clan brought to mind the other sorrows the famous family has suffered.

Shopping in Bedford, Diane Glokler said, "I've always just thought that family is very tragic. They keep having tragic things happening to them. It's heart-wrenching."

Neighbor Leslie Lampert, who owns the Cafe of Love restaurant a short drive from the Kennedy home, said Mary Kennedy was "at all times just a lovely individual."

"She was community oriented," Lampert said. "She was always kind in our presence."

Another neighbor, Kim Fraioli, a trauma therapist who lives a few houses down from the Kennedys, said the family was private.

"We left them alone," Fraioli. "We didn't have any interaction. I think it's a tragedy. It's very sad for their family and the surviving children. My heart goes out to the family."

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Associated Press writer Verena Dobnik contributed to this report.

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