Marina Metevelis, known as Tulsa's "Rose the Riveter" because she helped build B-17 bombers during World War II, died on Jan. 14 at the age of 100.
Marina was born and raised in Wichita, Kan., and while in high school, she began to help build B-17 bombers for troops during World War II. Her brother was killed in the war when she was 18.
Marina was one of the original "Rose the Riveters," representing all the women who worked in factories and helped make supplies during World War II.
She meet her husband, Don Metevelis in 1942 and they got married in Tulsa where Don lived.
Don enlisted in the army and Marina and him communicated for years by writing letters back and forth to each other. Don was injured in the war and came back stateside to recover after D-Day, and the pair permanently settled in Tulsa.
Don became the Assistant Postmaster of Tulsa and Marina worked on and off as a florist, eventually becoming a founding member of Up With Trees, an organization that has planted 40,000 in Tulsa.
In 1970, Marina began working at Tulsa Community College when the school first opened its doors. She worked in the library and then the Heritage Center, and retired after 47 years of service to the school.
Marina's family says she always did everything her way, and continued to dance into her 80s, slept on Star Wars sheets, and drove her car when she wasn't supposed to.
Marina's funeral will be held at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church Friday at 11 a.m.