A Life of Devotion: The Story of Ann Gargan King
Ann Gargan was the third child of Joseph F. and Agnes Fitzgerald Gargan. Her mother was the younger sister of Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy. Born in Boston in 1934, Ann enjoyed an ordinary, happy childhood until her mother passed away in 1936. After that, she and her siblings moved to Lowell, where they spent their early years. She and her siblings, Joey and Mary Jo, enjoyed summers in Hyannis Port with their Aunt Rose, Uncle Joe and Kennedy cousins. Her father died when she was 10 years old, she faced the losses in her life with strength, eventually growing into someone who cared deeply for others.
She attended both public and Catholic schools in the greater Lowell area, then entered the convent in South Bend, Indiana. Due to illness, she left the convent and she joined her aunt and uncle, Joseph P. and Rose Kennedy, and became a steady presence in their lives. She traveled with them to and from Hyannis Port MA and Palm Beach FL. Ann spent many happy years with them and her cousins. When her cousin, JFK, won the presidency in 1960, Ann accompanied them to the inauguration ceremony in Washington DC. and many other official events, including a State visit to Mexico. When Joseph P. Kennedy suffered a stroke, she became his primary caregiver, handling his correspondence, calendar, and care. She spent countless hours keeping "Uncle Joe" mentally and physically active. They swam, read the newspapers, watched movies, wrote letters to family&friends and spent time on the water aboard the "Marlin". She was a supportive presence to Rose&Joe and friend and confidant to Jackie Kennedy after the assignation of President Kennedy. Ann was the one Joe contacted when he needed anything, and she stayed by his side through his illness until he passed in 1969.
Over the years, he gifted her many items of sentimental value. Ann saved many of the letters, invitations and photos she received. Some of these items are very unique, and her family believes they should be shared so others can appreciate them and connect with the history behind them. Her story is one of devotion, warmth, and quiet influence that has stayed with her family over time.
Ann's legacy lives on not just in the objects she saved, but in the love and devotion she showed her family.
