WASP Nancy Lee Sendelbach, 43-6 | June 10, 2009

Nancy Lee Sendelbach died Wednesday, June 10, 2009 in Manor Care, Camp Hill. She was 88.

She was a WASP aviator (Women Airforce Service Pilots) during WWII, flying almost every type of aircraft used during the was in operational flights from aircraft factories to ports of embarkation and military training bases.

Before moving to Pennsylvania she resided in Tyron, N.C., with her late husband, Major Norman "Sandy" Sendelbach, USAF, ret. She is survived by her daughter, Sara.

Private services with military honors will be held at Arlington National Cemetery, Washington D.C. where she will be buried with her husband.

Memorial contributions in Nancy's name are encouraged to be sent to The Humane Society of Harrisburg Area, 7790 Grayson Rd. Harrisburg, PA 17111.

To send messages of condolence to Sara, please visit www.Parthemore.com www.pennlive.com/obits

(or, you may post a message below)

WASP Juliette Jenner Stegge, 44-W-3 June 22, 2009

A bright light, a sparkplug, a bundle of joyful energy and a lady who could kick higher than her head until just a few years ago, Julie Jenner Stegge passed away June 22, 2009. She was ninety-seven years old.

Not much information is available yet from her family, but these words from Bryd Howell Ganger's "On Final Approach" are so appropriate, for this determined young woman pilot with a smile that lit up the room.

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THE SHOW:

Morale is shot down by the bitter cold. It's worst at night when all bay gas heaters are turned off....on the flight line, parked planes strain against mooring lines as the wind whips and surges. Covers protect the engines. The cockpits fill with snow. With nothing to do, trainees get on each other's nerves.

Julie Jenner, Class 44-3, doesn't like the sinking morale at Avenger. She is naturally vivacious, keen on enjoying life and having everyone else have a good time too. On Broadway as a member of the Ziegfeld Follies cast, she has seen how boredom can create havoc. Smart directors keep everyone on tippy toes and maybe that should be done at Avenger too. What is needed is something to keep everyone busy--a show!

Julie takes her idea to the Chief Establishement Officer...Sure, go ahead...Julie does, enlisting trainees as set designers, stage hands, music composers, choreographers. the show is a huge success, so much so that its cast is invited to abandon flying and take the show on the road to Air Forces bases. they perform at one other base. But keep it up?

What? AND GIVE UP FLYING? NOT ON YOUR SWEET LIFE!" (1)

THE UC-78

"Tower--WASP Jener in UC78 on taxiway Plane won't move. Won't do anything. I'm leaving it right here."

Julie shuts down both engines, sets the brakes (what for? Won't budge anyway). opens the door, and starts out. Up rolls a jeep. In it is a handsome officer with a determined look. He jumps onto the wing.

"Here...I'll move it for you."

Oh, he will, will he. Smirking, Julie s

ubsides on the copilot seat, folds her arms, and waits. He starts the engines, revs them up, pumps the brakes. Nothing. He really guns the engines. Nothing happens except that the UC's tail rises a bit. Julie grins. He laughs. Looking at each other, they break up guffawing.

A tractor hauls the UC-78 to the ramp, its wheels solidly olocked and leaving rubber in tis path.

And that's how Julie meets her future husband, "the best ting that ever happened" to her "in the Army Air Force." (2)

1. p 356

2. 380/381

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We met Julie in 1992, when she danced to

the WASP RAP, "We Got the Stuff, the Right Stuff," (written by my mom) at the 50th Anniversary WASP Convention in San Antonio. Julie had a wonderful time--and her performance is still talked about by WASP today. I know Julie enjoyed sharing her WASP experiences--and talking about flying for her county.

Julie was, after all, a patriot!

Doris C. Gee, 44-W-1

When she lived at The Wasps Nest in Miami after WWII she was "Gee" to all the little Reno children. We were in awe of her. She was like a warm wind at your back - sure and strong and big as all Texas.

- Janet Reno

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Doris Gee passed away quietly on April 25, 2009 at a care facility in Shepherd, Texas. She was another of the wonderful WASP who so inspired others. When Janet Reno came to Texas to help dedicate the statue of the WASP at Avenger Field in 1996, she mentioned 'Gee' in her speech. Just listening, I was lifted by the words -- all inspired by a group of WASP who had touched her life as a young child. What a wonderful legacy Doris Gee has left--for all of us. A challenge to do your best, or better, because it is the right thing to do, and to never, ever do anything that would disappoint a WASP!

Although I never met Gee (I only talked to her on the phone once), I do remember her. I remember her excitement when I told her about the WASP Museum opening in 2005 and invited her to come. She was planning on it. She was excited something was happening in Texas to honor the WASP. Not long after that phone call, she had a stroke.

Like so many WASP, Doris Gee served quietly. Her name only appears briefly with a few dates and duty stations. As a member of WASP class 44-W-1, she entering training at Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas and graduated on February 11, 1944. It was very cold that day. From Avenger Field, Doris was sent to Pecos Army Air Base in Pecos, Texas, where she would have flown AT-6, UC-78 and AT-17B as an engineering test pilot, administrative pilot and transport pilot. She was then transferred to Yuma Army Air Field, Yuma, Arizona to the Flexible Gunnery School/Radar Observer School. Here, she would have flown B-26's, towing targets for gunners preparing for combat. Other missions at this base included co-pilot instruction, AT-11; BT-13.

The legacy of Doris Gee is the inspiration she gave to those she met. She lives on through those of us who have been touched and inspired by the WASP, for that is what she was, a WASP. WASP didn't just make history, they made inspirational history. May they continue to inspire us all.

--submitted by Nancy Parrish

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Following reprinted from the Corsicana Sun:

Doris Cordelia Gee, 87, formerly of Rowlett, Texas, and Idyllwild, Calif., passed away on Saturday, April 25, 2009, at Woodland Park Health Care Center in Shepherd after a long illness.

Doris was born on June 13, 1921 in Rockdale to the late Ernest W. and Mabel C. (Cherry) Gee. She entered the U.S. Air Force in July of 1943 as a Womens AirForce Service Pilot (WASP), and served for 18 months during World War II.

She subsequently worked for Continental Airlines training pilots for several years. She retired as a Realtor in Idyllwild, Calif., and returned to live in her beloved Texas.

Doris is survived by her nephews, Travis L. Gee and wife Susan of Wisconsin and William E. Gee of Florida; niece, Gareth A. Downey of California; and dear friends, Jeff and Brenda Langham of Shepherd.
She was preceded in death by her parents; brother, Alfred T. Gee; and lifelong friend and companion, Mary Jane Langham.

Graveside services were held at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 3, at the Rice Cemetery with the Rev. Don Wills officiating.

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WASP Peggy Parker Eccles, 44-W-4

WASP Peggy Parker Eccles passed away on May 9, 2009, the day before Mother's Day. She had been diagnosed with a terminal illness, and was fighting the good fight. Our prayers go out to her family.

Peggy's story is posted below--in her own words.

I was born on February 16, 1921, in Oregon City, Oregon. My inspiration and love of flying came from my father, also a pilot. I was a junior at Mills College when I got my pilot license in 1941. The Civilian Pilot Training program (CPT), was offered at Mills College, in California's San Francisco Bay area. When I began college at 16, I intended to head for medical school. I also wanted to fly to get the feeling of the third dimension.

After I finished the CPT training during my senior year of college, I was interviewed after spring vacation, I was asked to become a WASP right away. I opted to wait until after I graduated from college in June of 1942. I passed the required physical, but somehow my papers got lost somewhere at Randolph Field, San Antonio, Texas. After inquiring about the delay, I got my orders to report to Sweetwater, Texas.

I was upon graduation, assigned to the Air Transport Command in Romulus, Michigan. I mostly ferried the B-24 anf B-17 to point of embarkations, which included Great Falls, Montanna, the San Francisco Bay area and Newark, New Jersey. I also flew several Norsemen to Montreal, Canda, which were crated and sent to England. Then I was sent to the Second Air Force Training Command, and assigned to a B-29 base near Alamogordo New Mexico, where I acted as a taxi service for four physicists at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. I would fly the men from New Mexico to Edwards Air Force Base in California, on to Washington, DC. The entire project was very hush-hush! I even had to carry a gun while I transported those men.

After deactivation, I continued in aviation one year with other WASP at the Palm Springs Airport in California for awhile. I also taught flying and continued to ferry planes. I married Julian Eccles. We have three children: Ted Eccles, Ralph Eccles and Jill Frodsham. All of whom presented me with seventeen grandchildren.

I continue to fly whenever I get the opportunity. I sold my Klamath Falls residence and now spend part of the year in Palm Desert, California, and part of the year at Lake of the Woods in Oregon, which I believe is the best of all worlds at this point.

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Peggy's story reprinted from WASP Betty Turner's "Out of the Blue and Into History"

SEE PHOTOS OF PEGGY

More will be posted as information changes.

God bless you all,

nancy

WASP Caryl "Suds" Jones Stortz, 43-W-5

WASP Caryl "Suds" Stortz--in her own words.

"I was born in 1918 in Billings, Montana.

I remember when Lindbergh flew over Billings after his Atlantic flight, and also the ride in the Ford Trimotor when it toured the country. But it really wasn't until a friend of mine wrote me that she had learned to fly in Missoula at the university that I decided that I, too, could learn to fly. I was in my last year of college in Madison, Wisconsin and was accepted by the CPT program at the university. This was in the winter of 1941.

In the summer of 1942, I went to Santa Barbara, but there was no flying on the coast at that time due to the war with Japan. However, I read an article in Time Magazine about Cochran's program and wrote the magazine for the address, which turned out to be a hotel in Los Angeles where she was interviewing.

I went back to Billings to build up some time, and in March was accepted into 43-W-5. There were four girls from Montana to go through the WASP training: Marge Logan, 43-6, who was in high school with me; Frances Jensen Blakeslee 43-8, who was a sorority sister of mine, and Yvonne Ashcraft from Big Timber, who I didn't know until we ferried some PT's from Oklahoma to Montana after being disbanded.

After graduation, I was sent to Camp Davis, North Carolina, to tow target squadron and from there to Camp Stewart, Georgia, where we learned to fly radio controlled aircraft, and finally to Biggs Field, El Paso, Texas. The Douglas Dauntless (A-24), and the Helldiver (A-25), were mainly what we were flying although we did fly others occasionally.

After deactivation, I worked briefly at a plane factory (A-20s) in Tulsa and ferried a few PTs from there to Montana. I was back in Billings, working in the hospital lab, when my friend, Win Wood, called from Arizona and asked if I would drive home (Miami), and I jumped at the chance. I spent about two years working around airplanes in various capacities. From there I went to Waco, Texas where I ran the ground school for a GI flight school. From there to Forsyth, Montana to work with a friend's husband at a GI school, and there I met a man who wanted to hire a plane, and later I married him.

The next stop was when Win Wood called again and asked if I would like to come work at the Palm Springs Airport with her for Mary Nelson, who was running the airport at that time. So I went to Palm Springs and stayed there for about six months until I left to be married.

This about ended my flying years. We were in an auto accident and after I get patched up, which took a while, I got a job in a hospital in Daytona Beach, Florida, and from there went eventually to Asheville and on to New York and ended up back in California at La Jolla.

Win and I decided to get our teaching credentials and both got a job in Brawley, California. Eventually I went back to the coast and spent two years teaching in Germany, returning to Esondido until I retired. A lot of spare time has been spent in traveling, going to classes, etc."

(From WASP Betty Turner's "Out of the Blue and Into History" p. 139)

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Caryl passed away on the 24th of February, 2009. She had just turned 91 years old.

She is survived by her brother, Dr. Phillip Jones.

WASP Marion Schorr Betzler Brown, 43-W-2

WASP Marion Schorr Brown passed away April 20, 2009 due to complications of heart disease.

To truly share her life, the following is posted from her own words -- pp. 50-51 of WASP Betty Turner's "Out of the Blue and Into History:"

I was born on March 13, 1920 in New Orleans, Louisiana. My interest in aviation was always there. I went to the University of Southwestern Louisiana in Lafayette, Louisiana, and majored in physical education, and while there, enrolled in the Civilian Pilot Training program. I was a physical education teacher at John McDonogh High School in New Orleans, Louisiana 1940-42, when I received the call to take the physical test to join the WASP.

I was assigned to the 3rd Ferrying Group, Air Transport Command, at Romulus, Michigan. Except for being a co-pilot on SNAFU and B-24 mod trip to Montreal, I ferried the rest of the time throughout the U.S. and Canada. I flew the B-24 and B-24J (the Navy single tail fin after modification in Montreal), PBY-5A, and the C-60 (Loadstar) as co-pilot. First pilot in the AT-9, AT-16 (Canadian version of AT-6), C-47, C-64, PT-26 (Canadian primary trainer) and all Stinson airplanes. I received instrument rating in the DC-2.

Toward the end of the program I married one of the service pilots, Charles Betzler, in March 1944. He was a test pilot for Curtis Wright and later North American Aviation. I lived in Ohio for 30 years.

While there I instructed at Lane Aviation in Columbus. We had two children, Richard and Michael. In Ohio, I was active in the Ninety-Nines and many civic groups. I won the All-Ohio Achievement Award in 1964 and the South Central Section Award in 1980.

I found time for gardening, sewing, and bridge in addition to the regular mother and wife duties. when the children were young, my flying was limited to flying in air races in the summer in the Women's Transcontinental, "The Powder Puff Derby," and the All Women's International Races (The Angel Derby). In the latter I did pretty good.

I won in 1956 from Ontario, Canada to Havana, Cuba in my Luscomb (90 HP fuel Injection). We had to land in Vera Dera Beach, Cuba because Castro was threatening Batista, then on to Havana out over the water. Batista had a reception at the palace. He didn't appear at first but later a large mirrored wall moved and he stepped out. A replica trophy was given to me at the banquet. I also received a large gold trophy that was supposed to be shipped to me (not enough room in the Luscomb to carry it). Castro took over right after that and the trophy never arrived. I placed second the following year to Havana. In order to support these airplanes, I began to fly charter and instruct again.

I married Jack "J.D." Brown in 1974. He had been in charge of transition at Romulus before ferrying across the Hump and throughout Europe. After that time he flew corporate in Texas and Louisiana. We had not seen each other for over 30 years. Besides my sons, I have two grandchildren and one great granddaughter.

On February 1, 1997, I gave up two years as designated pilot examiner for the FAA. During that time most of my flight test came from New Orleans and Baton Rouge, and Mississippi areas. I did have some interesting ones though. Among them, a flight instructor renewal from Mexico, a flight instructor reinstatement from Greece, and a private pilot test for a girl from Venezuela.

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From her son, Mike, the following emai:now that your good memories, wishes and prayers go with her. Susan and I are preparing to go down to tend to her final affairs and memorial. Since she requested cremation, we will try to arrange a memorial and internment in Hammond, La. within a month. Thank you all for your tender and loving care and friendship for her in this life, may we all reunite in the everlasting.

WASP SARAH SYMMES

Flying emblematized her life
By Virginia Culver
The Denver Post-posted 4/17/09

At age 10 Sarah Symmes wanted to be a barnstormer or stunt flier.

But that didn't work out, so she joined the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) and ferried military planes around the country during World War II.

Flying "was a metaphor for her life," said the Rev. Sandy Blake of St. Timothy Episcopal Church in Centennial.

A service for Symmes, who died March 15 just short of 93, will be at St. Timothy, 1401 E. Dry Creek Road, at 10 a.m. Friday.

Symmes "loved the independence of flying" and that extended to how she lived her life, Blake said. "She's been described by friends here as fearless, feisty and fun."

Symmes was a loyal volunteer at St. Timothy, spending many hours at the bedside of ailing members, said Sally Atchison, of Littleton, a St. Timothy member.

Sarah (Sally) Elizabeth Gibson was born April 2, 1916, in Charlotte, N.C. When she was a child, she moved with her family to Colorado because her mother had tuberculosis.

Her mother died when Sarah Gibson was small, so she and her brother, the late Denver City Councilman Hoot Gibson, lived for some time in a Denver orphanage.

She graduated from South High School and then, at 17, hitchhiked to California looking for a brother, said her niece, Elaine Little.

She sometimes slept in police stations for safety, Little said.

Symmes heard about the WASP program and went to Sweetwater, Texas, where the women were trained. But she was told she needed to first get 35 hours of flying time and that she had to pass a test.

She did both and became a WASP, stationed at a base in Kansas, where she and other women ferried and tested planes, and instructed male pilots, her niece said.

After the war, Symmes went to accounting school in Kansas City and came to Colorado in the mid-'80s.

She had had training in clinical pastoral education and volunteered countless home-visit hours through St. Timothy.

Symmes "was a very spiritual person, but that didn't stop her from being spunky," Blake said.

Symmes was divorced twice. Her third husband, Glen Symmes, died in 1985.

She is survived by another niece and two nephews.