Bill Clinton was one of three U.S. presidents who eulogized the late Ethel Kennedy at her funeral in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, recalling her as a “fireball” who wasn’t above teasing him when they encountered one another. “I thought your mother was the cat’s meow. She would flirt with me in the most innocent ways,” the former president told Ethel’s children. “She was an amazing fireball of continuous energy. It was wonderful to be around her.” Also present to speak were Barack Obama, who called Ethel “a big dose in a small package,” and Joe Biden, who said there was “nothing” she couldn’t accomplish during her lifetime. Ethel, who was widowed in 1968 after her husband, Robert F. Kennedy, was assassinated on the campaign trail, died Oct. 10 at the age of 96. She is survived by nine of the 11 children she and Kennedy shared, as well as 34 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren. After her husband’s death, Ethel dedicated her life to social justice. “For over 50 years, Ethel traveled, marched, boycotted, and stood up for human rights around the world with her signature iron will and grace,” Biden said in a statement after her death, calling her “a hero in her own right.”
