Mary Richardson Kennedy's funeral mass ended shortly after noon on Saturday with the sound of the St. Patrick's Church bell ringing throughout the town.
The doors of the Roman Catholic church quietly opened and mourners poured slowly out onto the street, gathering next to the gray hearse that would carry away Mary Kennedy's coffin.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. accompanied the four children he had with Mary Kennedy, ages 11 to 17. Robert Kennedy's mother, Ethel, was in attendance, as were family members Joe Kennedy and Maria Shriver.
More than 100 people began arriving around 9 a.m. to mourn Mary Kennedy, who was found dead at her Bedford estate on May 16. The 52-year-old architect and mother apparently hanged herself.
The service drew celebrities including Susan Sarandon, Glenn Close, Larry David and Chevy Chase. Mourners as far away as Vermont drove to the service.
Kerry Kennedy, a longtime friend and sister-in-law of Mary Kennedy's, spoke to the press assembled on the green across the street from St. Patrick's before the funeral, saying Mary Kennedy was "brilliant and she was beautiful." "She just loved her children more than anything," she said.
“She was an angel who was brought to us to live with us here on Earth and I think that God just brought her back up to heaven and said that, 'You don’t have to fight for me anymore--you can be back where you are supposed to be.' She’s with my brothers and her father and her mother and the people who she so loved,” said Kerry Kennedy, her voice shaking.
Shortly after 10 a.m., the hearse carrying Mary Kennedy's coffin quickly pulled in front of St. Patrick's Church accompanied by two police motorcycles. Some family members acted as pallbearers, carrying the coffin up the stairs and behind closed doors for the private service. Reports indicated Monsignor George P. Thompson would officiate.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. eulogized his estranged wife, calling her "the most extraordinary woman I have ever met," according to Newsday.com. "I had feelings about her that I never had and I will never have again."
Newsday.com reports that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also revealed his last conversation with Mary Kennedy, which took place on the phone the day before her body was found. "She said, 'You know me better than anyone,' and I said, 'Yes.' And she said, 'I was a good girl.' And I said, 'Yes, you were a good girl.'"
Despite the media attention on Mary Kennedy's death, there were never more than a dozen people watching the latest Kennedy family tragedy outside the church. A girl wearing a pink tutu ran around a tree on the green while the service was being held and several people gathered to watch mourners leave the church. Some came to see celebrities and members of the Kennedy family, others came because they were touched by Mary Kennedy's story.
"I just felt so bad," said Cindy Parent, 65, of Mount Kisco. Parent had seen Mary Kennedy about five years ago at a Mount Kisco supermarket and remembered her smiling face. Until the story of Mary Kennedy's death broke, Parent didn't realize who the kind, smiling woman was. "I felt so touched by her," Parent said.
Since her death, Mary Kennedy's friends and family have sought to remember her as, and distance her memory from . Robert Kennedy Jr. filed for divorce in 2010, but the couple was still legally married at the time of her death.
Alirio Cardona, 54, of Mount Kisco, parked his bike as he watched mourners go into the church. He was "very upset" by the news of Mary Kennedy's apparent suicide and wanted to witness the funeral.
The Associated Press reported that Mary Kennedy will be buried near the Kennedy compound in Hyannisport, MA.
Another memorial service is reportedly being planned by the Richardson family for Monday in Manhattan.
