Even in death, Ethel Kennedy still had a way with men.
During her funeral on Wednesday, former U.S. President Bill Clinton said the late widow of Robert F. Kennedy flirted with him.
“I thought your mother was the cat’s meow,” Clinton said in his eulogy at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, D.C. “She would flirt with me in the most innocent ways.”
Ethel died Oct. 10 at the age of 96. The mother of 11 children became a widow in 1958 after Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated.
In his eulogy, Clinton described Kennedy as an “amazing fireball of continuous energy” and said it “was wonderful to be around her.”
“I remember one of the — I loved all these Valentine’s cards and there’s a bunch of them downstairs, and they’re very political,” Clinton said, per the New York Post. “Roses are red, violets are blue, I’m surrounded by love, but there’s still room for you.
“I think that’s the way she let us all feel.”
Ethel’s daughter Kerry Kennedy later mentioned Clinton during her own tribute.
“President Clinton said that mommy flirted with him and you know she loved each of you,” said Kerry.
“A few weeks ago I called her from Italy and I said, ‘Mommy, I’m in Italy. Is there anything I can bring you?’ And she said, ‘An Italian would be nice.’”