My Rosie Story
My name is Adeline “Addie” Powell, and my 100th birthday will be in 2021! Recently, I learned that I was one of an astounding 18 million women who proudly worked to keep the home front running while our “boys” went off to war.
I grew up in Omaha during the Depression. When WWII broke out, my younger sister and I worked at the B-29 bomber plant famous for building the Enola Gay. I was 23 in 1944 and was trained to install machine gunsights inside the ball turret of the planes. It was quite an experience being just one of thousands who worked at the B-29 plant—along with many whose loved ones would be killed in action. The work was strenuous, but we were proud to stand up, show our patriotism, and help our great country.
(My father-in-law, all seven of my husband’s brothers and one sister served our country in four wars over the years in all branches of the military, and they all returned home.)
After a promotion, I worked in a downtown Omaha storefront demonstrating military safety items. My future husband, Richard, a Marine, spotted me working one day in the store’s display window. In 1945, we married and moved to the Navy base in Hastings before later settling in Ord, Nebraska. Over the years, we had four children, five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
During my lifetime, I have worked in retail clothing stores and sold life insurance as well as cosmetics and Tupperware. I have enjoyed volunteering for the Ronald McDonald House, gardening, decorating, sewing clothes for weddings and our children, singing with the Sweet Adelines and my church choirs, and dancing every chance I got. To this day, I have been addicted to daily word-search puzzles, Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune.
Today, I live in Florida with my family. I look forward to celebrating my 100th birthday in 2021! My life has been blessed!
“My Rosie Story” as told by Addie to her family.