Cathy the Riveter

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Cathy Terrell is our president, Jan Davis' inspiration and dear mother. Cathy nudged Jan for years to sponsor a Rosie chapter in Hawaii. Jan was not receptive to it. However, Jan was completely dedicated to her sweet mom visiting every quarter and spending quality time with her which included attending the Sun City Chapter Rosie meetings which they both truly enjoyed. 

Since Cathy's passing in 2019, Jan has had a change of heart. Not only has Jan created the first Rosie chapter in Hawaii, she, her partner Patti and their Honolulu Rosie chapter, are on a mission to FIND ROSIES, honor and celebrate them, and find 21st century Rosies! It's critical! It's easy to see Jan's passion and where she inherited her 'We Can Do It' spirit! 

Please read and enjoy Cathy's story, captured in her own words:

My name is Cathy Terrell. I was born Catherine Elizabeth Hoffman on April 20, 1917 in Granville, Iowa. My father Eugene, moved to Iowa from Luxembourg where he was a butcher.  In Iowa, he became a farmer and met and my mother, Elizabeth Boever.    

In 1930, the depression had hit real hard. My father bought a beautiful home and farm in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota. By that time, there were eight children and my dad put us all on the train for the trip to our new home in Sleepy Eye. I was only eight years old at the time, and the younger children were all crying as they didn’t want to leave, but I was thrilled at the thought of riding on that train!  

My father raised oats, corn and wheat along with dairy cows, hogs and chickens. We had a huge garden and an orchard with apples and plums. We had plenty of food during the depression and so we never really felt the effects of the depression. 

We all went to school at St. Mary’s in Sleepy Eye until we graduated. Sometimes we walked three miles and sometimes we all piled into our horse drawn buggy to get to school, until we eventually got another car.   

In 1940, after going with my boyfriend for six years, I left Sleepy Eye and went to Newton, Kansas where we were married. I went to work in a department store at first. I remember the service boys would come through Newton on the troop train. We always had cookies and coffee for them at the train station before they left.

In 1942, I wanted a better job with better pay so I drove to Wichita, Kansas where I got a job at the Boeing Jet Aircraft plant. They put me on riveting right away. I worked on the fuselage where we worked in teams with one person on the outside of the plane and one person on the inside, which was called a 'bucker'. 

After about a month, I was moved over to riveting windows. I remember we wore blue uniforms with caps and we did exercises every morning before we started work. 

After about  three years, my dad wanted us to come back to Minnesota to farm as two of my brothers were drafted into the service, and dad needed help on the farm. We eventually bought our own farm and adopted two little girls, Jean and Jan.

In 1960, we moved to Arizona for my husband’s health. He passed away in 1964.  In 1994, I moved to Sun City and in 1999, there was a Rosie the Riveter Convention in town and that’s how I found out about the Sun City Chapter.   

All my life I’ve kept busy by helping others. I was a Girl Scout Leader and I’ve held leadership positions in the Glendale Women’s Club, the Church Sodality and the Saguaro Ranch Park in Glendale, Arizona.

Today, I stay active and busy here in Sun City, Arizona by playing shuffleboard and cards. I occasionally go swimming and often engage in church activities. I still do my own house work and of course I go to my American Rosie the Riveter meetings each month. I have always loved people and social activities and I enjoy living in Sun City.  

Cathy is a member of the American Rosie the Riveter Association.

Cathy celebrated her 102 birthday and passed on September 7, 2019... she is sorely missed.