Special Olympics' Shriver remembered

HYANNIS, Mass., Aug. 14 (UPI) -- More than 100 people gathered in Hyannis, Mass., Friday to attend the private funeral of the late Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver.

Among those notable names attending Friday's funeral at St. Francis Xavier church on Cape Cod were U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, TV talk show host Oprah Winfrey and Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, The Boston Globe said.

Shriver died Tuesday of unspecified causes at the age of 88, ending a life that included founding the international Special Olympics organization that currently involves 3 million athletes in 181 countries.

"Literally every dimension of their lives has been improved as a result of the work of Eunice Kennedy Shriver," Robert Johnson, Special Olympics Massachusetts president, said of Shriver's efforts to help those with disabilities. "Her ability to inspire others was greater than any single person's I've ever met. She was intense. She was determined. She was passionate."

Shriver was also remembered Thursday with a public wake in Centerville, Mass. More than 1,000 people attended the six-hour wake at Our Lady of Victory church, The Boston Globe reported.