Throughout her childhood, Elizabeth Koehler-Pentacoff frequently visited Rosemary Kennedy, President John F. Kennedy’s sister. Why? Koehler-Pentacoff’s aunt, Sister Paulus Koehler, a Franciscan nun, was Rosemary’s devoted caregiver at St. Coletta in Jefferson, Wisconsin for 15 years and her driver and travel companion for over 30 years. 

THE MISSING KENNEDY chronicles Rosie’s life along with that of the author’s aunt, and delves into the similarities between the two families. It includes many never-before-seen private photos, Kennedy quotes from the author’s interviews, and anecdotes about Rosemary and her famous family.

The book delves into Rosemary’s misdiagnosed condition, why her father sought an experimental brain surgery for her without his wife’s knowledge, how he kept this fact hidden from the rest of his family for 20 years, and what Rosemary was actually like after her lobotomy.

Through the author’s relationship with Rosemary, Sister Paulus, and her other relatives, the author discovered how family, faith and silence intertwine to bond, strengthen, or destroy ourselves and our relationships, no matter our status or circumstance, whether one is in a rich extraordinary family or a poor ordinary one.