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Myra Kraft’s Legacy Hard to Put Into Words, As Impact Extends Well Beyond Sports World (Photos)

Editor’s note: Each day during the week of Dec. 31, NESN.com will feature content based on key events from Robert Kraft’s tenure as owner of the Patriots. “Krafting a Legacy” will examine how the Patriots got to where they are today following Kraft’s purchase of the team.

To steal a phrase from the 1993 comedy Dazed and Confused, behind every great man, there is a woman. And when it comes to the success of Robert Kraft, his wife, Myra Kraft, was there contributing to the greater good of society.

That’s what made Myra’s death in July of 2011 so upsetting. Myra, who died of cancer at age 68, was the backbone of the Kraft family, making a name for herself in charitable circles, not just because of the amount of money given, but also because of the amount of time she put toward helping out worthwhile causes.

Myra would spent countless hours trying to help out charities in any way she could, because as she put it, that was what she viewed her occupation to be. In other words, rather than sit around as the wife of a rich businessman who happened to be the owner of the New England Patriots, Myra used the family’s stature to carry out good deeds and to touch the lives of many — all the way up until her death.

You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who would say a bad thing about Myra Kraft. She may not have been involved in football decisions, and her charitable endeavors may have seemed like a footnote in the Kraft’s operation of the Patriots, but looking back, it’s obvious the world lost a special person in July of 2011.

Now and forever, though, Myra Kraft will forever be held in high regard. A Patriot. A good Samaritan. An angel.

Click here to learn more about Myra Kraft and the Patriots’ remembrance of her >>