RIP Rosie

[BarryBobPosthole]

No Thumper, not your good friend Rosy.

The inspiration for Rosie the Riveter during WWII, Naomi Parker is gone. At 96. What a generation!

I was good friends with a real life Rosie the Riveter. She just passed away last year at 92. She was Bassdog’s Mom, Jean Kasper.
She came to Tulsa to a National Bowling Tournament with her team from Lakefield, Minnesota back around 2003 or 4 or so, and called me up. I took her whole team out to dinner. We had to go to Applebees because she had a coupon. She was 80 then and was still a weekly golfer and bowler and obviously the oldest on her team.
She retold me the story of moving to Tulsa when she was 17 to build b-24s at McDonnel Douglas. From the sounds of it and the giggles, it sounded like she might have enjoyed the night life a little too. I miss her and all the pots of coffee and conversation at her table with Bassdog in Lakefield.
Her future husband, Bob’s Dad, was in theNavy having enlisted at age 16. He went to the Pacific and was boxing champion on his ship.

Like I said, what a generation.

BkB

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/370241-woman-who-inspired-rosie-the-riveter-dies-at-96

[LJ3]

That's cool. She had a memorable life from the sound of it. The Applebee's coupon thing made me lol. My Mom dragged me there and Olive Garden with coupons and arguing about it was pointless.

[johnboy]

I think a lot of the women out marching should take a long look at what these ladies accomplished. No bitchin' or whining, they just got it done. A remarkable generation. My mother in law was in the British Army during WW2 as a "spotter" for an anti-aircraft battery during the London blitz. Standing on a rooftop during a bombing raid directing the guns does not sound like a fun evening to me. RIP 'Rosie', fer sure.

[Bwana]

Sadly there aren't many of the good ones left.