Caroline Kennedy vows to 'keep her daughter Tatiana’s memory alive' for her grandchildren

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Caroline Kennedy is mourning the loss of her daughter, Tatiana Schlossberg, and has vowed to keep her memory alive, a family friend says. Tatiana, 35, the middle child of Caroline and her husband Edwin Schlossberg, died on Tuesday, December 30, just over a month after revealing she had been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. Read on to see what the family friend shared.

Caroline, like Jackie, preserves Tatiana’s memory for the next generation

Tatiana Schlossberg’s family will carry the responsibility of keeping her memory alive, just as Caroline Kennedy’s mother, Jackie Kennedy, did for her children. According to People, a family friend shared, "Caroline is going to have to do for Tatiana's children what Jackie had to do for her children: Keep the memory alive of their parent that they might not remember."

For context, Caroline was just five days away from her sixth birthday when her father, President John F Kennedy, was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963, and her younger brother, John F Kennedy Jr, was about to turn three.

Caroline’s mother, Jackie, set a powerful example as a mother. She showed that her role as a grieving First Lady came second to caring for her children. Following that example, Caroline, 68, built a strong family support system that includes her husband, son-in-law, and her surviving children, Rose and Jack. The courage Caroline has shown throughout her life reflects her mother’s dedication to making sure her husband would always be remembered.

The family friend added, “[Caroline] is going to end up having to do the same thing her mother did with her and John, along with Tatiana's husband, in raising those kids."

They continued, "She's going to have to try to preserve her memory and make sure they know about her and make sure they remember her. It’s tragic. but she has a playbook.”

Caroline’s family will do everything to make Tatiana’s children remember her bravery

Caroline’s grief and the Kennedy family’s history of tragedy were a source of deep pain for Tatiana, as she reflected in her New Yorker essay.

“For my whole life, I have tried to be good, to be a good student and a good sister and a good daughter, and to protect my mother and never make her upset or angry,” she wrote.

“Now I have added a new tragedy to her life, to our family’s life, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it.”

A family friend told that Caroline and the rest of Tatiana’s family will do everything they can to help her children remember her bravery and spirit. For context Tatiana shared two young children Edwin and Josephine with Dr George Moran.

“What I know of Caroline is that she will carry Tatiana's memory for the rest of her life,” the friend said. “"She will make sure that Tatiana is remembered, and that's a gift, to have a family like that."

Tatiana's death announced by her family members

Tatiana’s family shared the news of her death through the JFK Library Foundation’s social media accounts.

The post, signed by her husband Dr George Moran and their children Edwin and Josephine, read, “Our beautiful Tatiana passed away this morning. She will always be in our hearts.” Other family members, including Caroline Kennedy, Jack, Rose, and Rory, were also listed on the post.

Maria Shriver paid tribute to her cousin on social media, writing, “I cannot make sense of this. I cannot make any sense of it at all. None. Zero. My heart has always been with my cousin Caroline ever since we were little kids. My entire being is with her now. What a rock she has been.”

She added, “Those of us left behind will make sure Eddie and Josie know what a beautiful, courageous spirit their mother was and will always be. She takes after her extraordinary mother, Caroline."

She concluded, "May we all hold Tatiana’s family in our collective embrace not just today, but in the days ahead, and may each of you who read this know how lucky you are to be alive right now. Please pause and honor your life. It truly is such a gift."