Anthony Shriver Shares How His Aunt, JFK's Sister Rosemary, Inspired Him to Help the Disabled

John F. Kennedy’s nephew Anthony Shriver, the son of John F. Kennedy’s sister, Eunice, and her husband, Sargent Shriver, had family on his mind at an intimate party celebrating the partnership between his nonprofit, Best Buddies, and Hublot watches on Sept. 6 in Woodside, California.

The event was celebrating a new, limited edition Hublot watch that highlights the continuing partnership between the two organizations. A percentage of each watch sold will benefit Best Buddies programs in the U.S. and globally.

Shriver, 53, who founded the nonprofit program Best Buddies, which advocates for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, shared fond memories of his cousin, Christopher Lawford, who died from a heart attack at age 63 on Tuesday, as well as his aunt, Rosemary Kennedy, whose disability spurred the foundation of Best Buddies.

“When somebody in your family passes away suddenly, it really gets you to think about your priorities,” Shriver says about Lawford’s sudden death. “What are you doing to spend your time when you wake up? How do you feel when you go to bed? I’m thankful to God that I get to do this every single day of my life.”

Shriver says of Lawford, who had written about his struggle with addiction and his road to recovery, “Life was hard for him but he was always sweet and kind.”

“He had three great kids,” Shriver adds. “They are wonderful children and now he’s at peace.”

Lawford is survived by his children, David, Savannah and Matt.

Shriver also recalled how Lawford would occasionally attend Best Buddies events, saying, “The few times he came, he was always smiling and very engaging with people.”

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Best Buddies, founded in 1989 by Shriver, supports individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Shriver’s aunt, John F. Kennedy’s older sister Rosemary Kennedy, had an intellectual disability, which Shriver cites as an inspiration for his work. Her 100th birthday would have been next week. Anthony’s mother, Eunice Shriver, was also inspired by her sister Rosemary to found the Special Olympics.

“[Rosemary] was enormously loving,” says Shriver of his aunt. “She taught me a lot about being calm and peaceful and loving in a different way.”

“One thing she taught me,” he adds, “is that you can have an incredible relationship with someone and not speak. You can have an incredible relationship with someone who is calm. Calmness in my family was never something that was admired.”

Shriver credits Rosemary’s love and his mother’s commitment to service and helping people with disabilities as inspirations for Best Buddies.

“There wasn’t a lot of sitting around and watching TV in our family,” Shriver says. “[My mother] impressed on us that we should all be of service.”

Today, Shriver says, the Best Buddies programs are making great strides in equalizing schools and workplaces for people with disabilities.

“I know where schools have the Best Buddies program, things are different,” he says. “The culture is different, the vibe is different, kids are much more sensitive to people being different.”

“The real thing [Rosemary] taught me at the end of the day,” Shriver adds, “was no matter how disabled or different someone may be, everyone has a gift from God.”