Revered Rosie the Riveter Lucille “Cille” MacDonald Dies

The Victim of the Lahaina Fire Was Weeks Short of Turning 99

HONOLULU, HI. Lucille “Cille” MacDonald, 98, a well-known Rosie and longtime

Maui resident, died Friday on the Valley Isle.

MacDonald was planning on attending the 83rd Commemoration of the attack on

Pearl Harbor this coming December 7 with a number of other Rosies.

She had attended the 82nd and 81st prior commemorations at Pearl Harbor National

Memorial.

Her longtime friend Dodo Dunaj who accompanied her to Pearl Harbor events

confirmed her passing.

"I am so heart broken,” Dunaj 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."

Dunaj said Cille was looking forward to returning to Pearl Harbor to honor the

Greatest Generation and to also celebrate her 99th birthday on December 9, in an

event she coined the "Cille-a-bration"

“Cille was diminutive, tough, spunky and beloved, an ambassador of all the Rosies

who had a key role in helping win World War II,” said Aileen Utterdyke, president

and CEO of Pacific Historic Parks. “We will miss her so much.”

MacDonald was one of 27 Rosies awarded the Congressional Gold Medal this past

April in Washington DC for their work on the Homefront during World War II.

The award is the highest honor Congress can bestow on civilians. It came as the

Rosie the Riveters organization gained more national prominence and recognition

for the vital work they did in the factories and shipyards when the predominantly

male factory workers went off to war.

Cille was born December 9, 1925 in Greenville, South Carolina. The middle child

of one brother and 7 sisters, she grew up on a farm picking cotton.

When the war broke out, she worked as a journeyman welder helping to build ships

in Brunswick Georgia at J.A. Jones Construction.

Over the past 50 years she lived on Maui where she was sometimes referred to as

the honorary mayor for helping build playgrounds at schools and donating money

to other causes including the construction of a fire station in Napili.

She and her late husband built a waterfront home in Lahaina, which was destroyed

with thousands of other structures on August 8, 2023. With the help of a neighbor,

she escaped the fire and spent several nights sleeping in the bed of her neighbor’s

truck.

“Cille was adored and respected by many,” said Sarah Pritchard, Executive

Director of the Rosie the Riveter Trust. “As one of the original Rosies, we are

committed to honoring her legacy by sharing her inspiring story. Rosie the Riveter

Trust extends our heartfelt condolences to her family and friends during this

difficult time.”

Services are pending.

Contact

Jim McCoy

Pacific Historic Parks

jmccoy@pacifichistoricparks.org

808-373-0419