Grandchildren give thanks to Kennedy, ‘best in the world'

(NECN: Arlington, Va.) – As part of the burial service for Senator Edward M. Kennedy, two of his grandchildren, Kiley Kennedy and Grace Allen, offered words describing their affection for the patriarch of the Kennedy family. Kiley Kennedy gathered the strength to share her thoughts of her grandfather after tearing up. “When most people of Ted Kennedy, they think about the man who changed the lives of millions of people by fighting for a better health care. When I about him, vibrant memories of sailing, laughing, Thanksgiving dinner, talking on the front porch and playing with Splash come to mind,” Kiley Kennedy said. “To me, all the things he has done to change the world are just icing on my grandpa cake of a truly miraculous person. “You see, my grandpa was truly a kid. If you ever saw him conducting the Boston Pops, that’s what he was like all the time with me,” Kiley Kennedy said. She said that Sen. Kennedy was at the happiest when sailing on his boat Maya. But her favorite moments spent with the senator were when she would wake up at 6:30 in the morning and find him on the porch, where the two would sit and stare at the sea. She said it was as if the world was just right. “I love you so much, grandpa, and I always will,” Kiley Kennedy said. Grace Allen recollected on Thanksgivings spent with Sen. Kennedy. “I just want to give thanks to my grandpa, because he’s the best grandpa I’ve ever had and the best in the world,” Grace Allen said.