More than 400 family members and friends gathered at Greenwich, Connecticut on Saturday for an emotional memorial service for Ms Lauren Bessette, the New York investment banker who died when the plane piloted by her brother-in-law, Mr John F. Kennedy jnr, crashed off the coast of Massachusetts.
For a second day, Kennedy and Bessette family members met in a church to pay tribute to talented young people who died at the prime of their lives.
Among the Kennedy family members who attended the 80-minute Connecticut service were Ms Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, sister of Mr John Kennedy jnr, Senator Edward Kennedy and his son, Edward jnr, and Mrs Ethel Kennedy, widow of the assassinated Senator Robert F. Kennedy.
"There were stories that caused laughter, there were stories that caused a great deal of tears," the Rev Hugh Tudor-Foley, one of three ministers who officiated at the service, told reporters afterwards. He said almost everyone mentioned Lauren's intelligence, and her willingness to help others.
"It was tearful and joyful, and it very much, we think, accomplished what the family had asked this church to do, which was to celebrate the lives of these two young women," Mr Tudor-Foley said.
Mr Kennedy (38), his wife Carolyn (33), and sister-in-law Lauren (34), died on July 16th when the small plane Mr Kennedy was piloting crashed into the Atlantic Ocean.
Ms Bessette was born in November 1964, followed minutes later by her twin, Lisa, and 15 months later by Carolyn.
"On July 16th, 1999, two of these remarkable women, along with Carolyn's remarkable husband, John Kennedy, unexpectedly left us," Lauren's uncle, Dr Jack Messina, said in a eulogy. "Their departure has left an enormous void in all our lives, and has touched the lives of millions. I find it . . . daunting, to share with you, in a short time we have together, the essence of my niece Lauren, an enormously complex woman whom we all loved. "I can still see Lauren, tall and graceful, talking with those adorably quirky hand gestures", he said. "I sense her vitality and her strength and her love. We shall miss her.
"If the events of these past days have taught us anything, it is to honour the moment. Cherish those around you. Try to find a balance between work and family. Contribute something to your community, and above all, share the love you feel for others each and every day," Dr Messina said.
Mr Tudor-Foley said Mr Robert Kennedy jnr read "from one of Shakespeare's plays for John, and it said: `Do not let grief be measured by his youth, for then your sorrow has no end.'"