Hawaii’s ‘Rosie the Riveter’ dies on Maui at age 98

Lucille “Cille” MacDonald, a Maui resident who was recognized by Congress for her work building ships during World War II and escaped the 2023 Lahaina fire, died Friday just weeks short of what would have been her 99th birthday.

Pacific Historic Parks, an organization dedicated to preserving military history of the Pacific, announced MacDonald’s death Monday. In a social media post, the organization quoted her longtime friend Dodo Dunaj, who said, “Cille was the most incredibly inspiring and strongest woman I’ve ever known. I can’t imagine my life without her. I will treasure our memories made together, her unbelievable stories, and the Rosie journey that I was so blessed to be a part of with her. She is a true American icon, my forever hero.”

MacDonald was born Dec. 9, 1925 in Greenville, S.C., and was the middle child of one brother and seven sisters. They grew up on a cotton farm and worked the fields.

When World War II broke out, men across the country joined the military as both volunteers and draftees, leaving shortfalls in the plants and factories producing the ships, planes, tanks, guns and munitions that troops needed on the front line.

MacDonald became one of the thousands of women who supported the war effort by filling those gaps. She went to work as a journeyman welder at J.A. Jones Construction in Brunswick, Ga., building warships.

https://www.pacom.mil/Media/News/News-Article-View/Article/3972203/hawaiis-rosie-the-riveter-dies-on-maui-at-age-98/