Billy and Gano had a baby sister who threw herself into the madness of WW2, beautiful Stella Mae. Stella was born April 19, 1921 in Mount Sterling, Kentucky. She was number 13 of the 14 children. Petite, pretty and extremely sharp, smarter than the average bear, she was caught up in the events surrounding the divorce of her parents. Just 14 years of age in 1935 she married Arnie Davis, a young man 6 years her senior. She told me her mother had her “married off” because she could no longer afford to care for the older girls. The marriage was not a happy one. There were two children born to Stella and Arnie, both stillborn and buried at Machpelah Cemetery in Mount Sterling, Kentucky. Later divorced, they both went on to serve in WW2.
I didn’t know Stella growing up, even though she and her family lived within a short bicycle ride from my house. She had married outside of her religion to a man of Jewish faith and I believe this caused a rift in the family. The first time I recall meeting her was at my father’s funeral in December of 1979. After that decades later around the year 2000 I was reintroduced to her via the apex predator genealogy mage in our family, my cousin Andrea McGrath. Stella was then living with her son and daughter in law in Richmond, just 25 minutes from my home. Thanks to Andrea I developed a very special relationship with Stella. I shared what I was doing with her to honor Billy’s memory and she fully supported my efforts. Over the years when we were together she would tell me stories and gave me a sweet high school photograph and later passed on a precious letter he had written to the family from the ship, the letter detailing the King Neptune ceremony on board the ship. Truth be told, Stella was an absolute and irreverent rascal. At 80, having a large family spread all over the world she enrolled in computer classes to learn how to use the internet. Keeping in touch with all of them was one goal – another was to share laughs. I’d open up my email to find the latest dirty joke she was sharing and they always made me blush – and smile. When she died of the cancer that had dogged her for years in 2009 it ripped out a piece of my heart. Her son Mike came from Texas to see her and brought her down from Cincinnati. We were with her just 3 weeks before she passed sharing a family dinner. That was the last time I had with her and the memory is still fresh.
Stella enlisted on November 25, 1944 and entered service in Cincinnati, Ohio with the WACs, or Women’s Army Corps on January 2, 1945. From there she was sent to Barnstable County, Falmouth, Massachusetts to join the 143rd AAF BU as a clerk for the Army at Otis Army Air Base (now Otis National Guard Base) right in the midst of Cape Cod. She was there until discharge on December 21, 1945 just months after war’s end. She attained the rank of Corporal and was sent to Camp Beale (now Beale Air Force Base) in Yuba County outside of Marysville, California for separation. For her service she earned a WW2 Victory Medal, and Good Conduct Medal. Of course, from what I know about the wacky and wonderful person she was, that Good Conduct Medal is a pleasant surprise.
The Women’s Army Auxilliary Corps, or WAAC was shortened to WAC, Women’s Army Corps. There were over 150,000 women who turned to service in the military during this time of war and in the Army, Navy and Air Corps they served many roles including clerical, drivers and mechanics, ordnance specialists, radio operators, communications, logistics, medical field, intelligence and even pilots flying planes from factories to bases where they would be sent overseas for use. Most were domestic and limited to serve in the US, but a few special detachments were allowed overseas duty. Women were allowed to join based on a law signed in May 1942 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Their importance was finally recognized in 1948 when it was ruled women could serve in the military, yet they were not allowed combat roles until decades later in 2013.
While in service in Massachusetts Stella made a few trips into New York City to a USO (United Service Organization) center there. These facilities were formed in 1941 and served as social clubs where men and women in the military could gather for some rest, relaxation and good company. Barns, churches, business fronts, museums, railroad cars and log cabins became sites to set up for these clubs. Food and drinks were served by volunteers and no alcohol was allowed. Bunks for sleeping were provided and many helped those far from home with letter writing to family. At one such center on leave Stella met her future husband, Bronx native Eliser Lee Merlin. Lee and Stella would later marry and have 5 children. Lee passed in 1991 and Stella in 2009 from cancer at age 88. She was a tiny little pistol, funny, creative and a little bit wild. And I loved her for it.
-Tammi
I didn’t know Stella growing up, even though she and her family lived within a short bicycle ride from my house. She had married outside of her religion to a man of Jewish faith and I believe this caused a rift in the family. The first time I recall meeting her was at my father’s funeral in December of 1979. After that decades later around the year 2000 I was reintroduced to her via the apex predator genealogy mage in our family, my cousin Andrea McGrath. Stella was then living with her son and daughter in law in Richmond, just 25 minutes from my home. Thanks to Andrea I developed a very special relationship with Stella. I shared what I was doing with her to honor Billy’s memory and she fully supported my efforts. Over the years when we were together she would tell me stories and gave me a sweet high school photograph and later passed on a precious letter he had written to the family from the ship, the letter detailing the King Neptune ceremony on board the ship. Truth be told, Stella was an absolute and irreverent rascal. At 80, having a large family spread all over the world she enrolled in computer classes to learn how to use the internet. Keeping in touch with all of them was one goal – another was to share laughs. I’d open up my email to find the latest dirty joke she was sharing and they always made me blush – and smile. When she died of the cancer that had dogged her for years in 2009 it ripped out a piece of my heart. Her son Mike came from Texas to see her and brought her down from Cincinnati. We were with her just 3 weeks before she passed sharing a family dinner. That was the last time I had with her and the memory is still fresh.
Stella enlisted on November 25, 1944 and entered service in Cincinnati, Ohio with the WACs, or Women’s Army Corps on January 2, 1945. From there she was sent to Barnstable County, Falmouth, Massachusetts to join the 143rd AAF BU as a clerk for the Army at Otis Army Air Base (now Otis National Guard Base) right in the midst of Cape Cod. She was there until discharge on December 21, 1945 just months after war’s end. She attained the rank of Corporal and was sent to Camp Beale (now Beale Air Force Base) in Yuba County outside of Marysville, California for separation. For her service she earned a WW2 Victory Medal, and Good Conduct Medal. Of course, from what I know about the wacky and wonderful person she was, that Good Conduct Medal is a pleasant surprise.
The Women’s Army Auxilliary Corps, or WAAC was shortened to WAC, Women’s Army Corps. There were over 150,000 women who turned to service in the military during this time of war and in the Army, Navy and Air Corps they served many roles including clerical, drivers and mechanics, ordnance specialists, radio operators, communications, logistics, medical field, intelligence and even pilots flying planes from factories to bases where they would be sent overseas for use. Most were domestic and limited to serve in the US, but a few special detachments were allowed overseas duty. Women were allowed to join based on a law signed in May 1942 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Their importance was finally recognized in 1948 when it was ruled women could serve in the military, yet they were not allowed combat roles until decades later in 2013.
While in service in Massachusetts Stella made a few trips into New York City to a USO (United Service Organization) center there. These facilities were formed in 1941 and served as social clubs where men and women in the military could gather for some rest, relaxation and good company. Barns, churches, business fronts, museums, railroad cars and log cabins became sites to set up for these clubs. Food and drinks were served by volunteers and no alcohol was allowed. Bunks for sleeping were provided and many helped those far from home with letter writing to family. At one such center on leave Stella met her future husband, Bronx native Eliser Lee Merlin. Lee and Stella would later marry and have 5 children. Lee passed in 1991 and Stella in 2009 from cancer at age 88. She was a tiny little pistol, funny, creative and a little bit wild. And I loved her for it.
-Tammi
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