Some people inherit a famous name. Fewer spend it on the quiet, difficult work of helping children learn. Kyle Kennedy, daughter of Michael Kennedy, has died at 42.

The Details of Her Passing

Kennedy, one of 34 grandchildren of Robert F. “Bobby” Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy, died Sept. 21 at her home in Westwood, Massachusetts, according to her obituary. Her cause of death is pending, the Westwood Town Clerk told PEOPLE.

Family Roots

Kennedy was born July 6, 1984, in Washington, D.C., to Michael, who died in 1997, and Victoria Denise Gifford. Victoria is the daughter of Frank Gifford and Maxine Avis Ewart, and the stepdaughter of Kathie Lee Gifford.

A Career Built Around Children

As her obituary notes, Kennedy was dedicated to early childhood education and worked on educational reform for disadvantaged children and people with disabilities. After college, she began her career in New York City as a teacher with Teach For America.

She earned a history degree at Georgetown University, a Master of Science in Early Education from Pace University, and a Master of Education in Education Policy and Management from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education.

Marriage and Motherhood

In August 2012, Kennedy married Liam Kerr at the Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston. The couple welcomed twins, Conor and Josie, but Josie died days after her birth. Two years later, they welcomed a second son, Declan. The obituary refers to Kerr as her “former husband.”

A New Chapter as an Advocate

In her final years, Kennedy lived with long-term paralysis after a severe spinal cord injury in 2020. She became an advocate for people living with disabilities, including testifying at a Massachusetts State House hearing on discrimination in health care for people with disabilities.

Those Left Behind

She is survived by her sons, Conor, 12, and Declan, 10; her mother; her brother, Michael; her sister, Rory; and nieces and nephews McKie, Quinn, Jack and Caleb.

For a woman who spent her career widening doors for others, her own advocacy after 2020 stands as the clearest measure of what she cared about.