The World War II veteran, who worked as a machine operator and community service worker before traveling the world, turned 105 last month and says the keys to a fulfilling life are family, faith and ‘trying everything’. are doing.
“Anything goes,” Susan “Susie” Rossetti, 105, of Watervliet, New York, told Fox News Digital.
“I’ve never said ‘no’ to anything. If I can’t do it, I’ve tried it. I’ve never said ‘I can’t’. When it happened, I tried it. I did.”
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Rossetti, who has lived in Watervliet all her life, said she values the close-knit community.
“I grew up here two blocks away,” Rossetti said. “I love Watervliet. It’s been a great life for me and my family. I’ve lived here all my life and I love it.”
Watervliet Mayor Charles Patricell (left) grew up watching Susan Rossetti (right), but didn’t actually know her life story until he was an adult. (Charles Patricelli)
Rossetti’s community seems to value her the same way.
“She’s a truly remarkable woman,” Watervliet City Councilor Barb Diamond, who is also related to Mr. Rossetti by marriage, told Fox News Digital.
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“She never missed a thing. She was a fixture at community events and birthday parties,” Diamond added. “She was the grand marshal for the 2019 Memorial Day parade before the coronavirus outbreak. She threw out the first pitch on Opening Day for Little League. She’s everywhere. She didn’t miss anything.”
At the age of 24, Rossetti left his hometown of Watervliet to join the U.S. Army. (Giovina Diamond)
Watervliet Mayor Charles Patricelli, who grew up with Rossetti at the center of community and church events, agreed.
“She’s very friendly,” Patricelli told Fox News Digital.
“She was very involved in our church. As a child, she was someone we looked up to, but at the time we didn’t know much about her history. When she was about 100 years old, We learned that she was a World War II veteran, and we actually interviewed her and the story she told was incredible. It was sharp as a whip,” he added.
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Rossetti grew up on Third Avenue in Watervliet.
“I’ve never said ‘no’ to anything. If I can’t do it, I’ve tried it. I’ve never said ‘I can’t’. When it happened, I tried it. Ta.”
In 1943, at age 24, she decided to leave her home and her job as a seamstress to serve her country and join the U.S. Army.
“Everyone else is gone,” Rossetti said.
“I said, ‘Well, there’s nothing to do. I’m going too. I want to do my part.’
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She landed at Williams Air Force Base in Chandler, Arizona, about 4,500 miles from her home.
Although Rossetti and her husband Frank Rossetti had no children of their own, she was always surrounded by family. (105 year old veteran)
“I was a mimeograph operator in Williams’ message center,” Rossetti said.
“My responsibility is to [copy] “Anything that was supposed to go out as email in the message center ended up going there,” she added. I did all the emails. ”
When he arrived at the base, Rossetti said he didn’t know anything about operating a mimeograph machine, but eventually came to see it as an exciting challenge.
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“‘I’m not a mimeograph operator, I’m a sewing machine operator,'” Rossetti reportedly told his commander.
Rossetti was assigned to work as a mimeograph operator at Williams Air Force Base in Chandler, Arizona. (Giovina Diamond)
“I didn’t know anything about operating a mimeograph machine. They said, ‘You’ll understand if you study.’ I found a way to do it – and I was an ace at it. ”
Although Rossetti was not involved in the battle, he said he remembers the tense moment.
“Williams was an airfield training center,” Rossetti said.
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“The only thing that bothered me was when I heard the news about the crash and things like that. It was upsetting,” she added.
“But other than that, it was a great place. It was a very, very good organization. The people were great. And I didn’t want to leave. It was so good.”
“Aunt Susie loves her family, home and country.”
But when the war ended, she returned to her hometown and returned to work as a seamstress for Tiny Town Togs, a famous children’s clothing company in New York.
“I went back to a profitable job making dresses, mainly for children,” Rossetti said.
Clothing made by Tiny Town Togs can now be found in many vintage shops, with some items commanding top prices.
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In 1958, Rossetti married local firefighter Frank Rossetti, who had died 15 years earlier.
In 2019, just before the coronavirus outbreak, Rossetti served as the town’s grand marshal for the Memorial Day parade. (Charles Patricelli)
While the couple enjoyed playing golf and traveling the world together, Rossetti said one of the keys to a happy marriage was also having your own interests.
“Well, let’s do it this way,” she said. “He did his thing. I did my thing. And we did our thing. And we’re on track.”
Although they had no children of their own, they were surrounded by family, including their niece Jovina Diamond.
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“Aunt Susie loves her family, her home and her country,” Jovina Diamond told FOX News Digital.
Rossetti remained active in the community, serving in his church and on the local Democratic Party committee. (Charles Patricelli)
“I grew up spending every weekend at their house for years,” added Jovina Diamond. “We went out to dinner, [the] Saratoga Racecourse and Travel. We also went to Sunday mass, but most of the time she sewed new clothes for me every time we went out. She also made matching clothes for my doll, Tina. ”
Jovina Diamond said her aunt is also known for speaking her mind.
“Aunt Susie is strong-willed, strong-willed and a strong believer in good work ethics and family,” she said.
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“And I might tell you something like [you’re] You’re heading in the wrong direction. ”
”[Faith is] It’s one of the most important things in my life. ”
Rossetti has always made politics his career, and continues to do so.
“She was very active politically and a big supporter of the local Democratic committee,” Barb Diamond said.
“She knew everyone and was at every function, party and fundraiser,” she added. “Right now, she is following what is happening on a national level and she knows very well what is going on, so she can have a conversation with anyone and get her point across. I did.”
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Rossetti was an avid golfer until his early 90s. Today she enjoys watching golf tournaments on TV.
Rossetti looks back on his life and finds no regrets. She is happy with everything she was able to do, she said. (Charles Patricelli)
And to maintain health, she worked around the house.
“I did a lot of yard work,” she said. “That’s all I needed for housework or anything. When I worked in the garden, I didn’t need anything else for exercise,” Rossetti said.
Faith has been a guiding force in Rossetti’s life, she said.
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“One of the most important things in my life,” she said.
She said she has no regrets, thanks to Rossetti’s “try everything” philosophy. There was nothing she didn’t do that she should have done.
“I think we’ve got it covered,” she said.
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