Tulsa's 'Rosie the Riveter,' 100, Remembered As Generous With 'Infectious Energy'

The woman known as Tulsa's Rosie the Riveter has passed away. Marina Metevelis lived to be 100 and will be laid to rest on Friday.

Instead of flowers, the family asks that people consider making a donation to Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church or to the VFW post downtown, where Metevelis rarely missed an event, and touched so many lives.

At Metevelis’ 100th birthday party last March, she shared with News On 6 what her secret to a long, happy life was: "Just keep busy, keep doing things. I just do all the damage I can,” she said with a laugh.

"She was just a impactful, little sparkplug of powerhouse lady for being 5 foot nothing and barely 90 something pounds,” Linda Hanna said.

Hanna met Metevelis because Hanna is a Tulsa Police detective, and Metevelis’ home was burglarized several years ago.

That unfortunate circumstance was the beginning of a fulfilling friendship.

"She always wanted to share her knowledge, her love. Very generous lady. She always wanted to feed you or give you something when you went to go visit her,” Hanna said.

Born in Wichita, Kansas, Marina was just a teenager when Pearl Harbor was attacked.

She became a true Rosie the Riveter, working on B-17s after school each day.

"She was able to present history from a first person point of view. And I don't know that we're ever gonna get another point of view like that again, here in Tulsa,” Joshua Starks said.

Starks is a former commander of the VFW Post 577. He said Metevelis had a big impact on him after he returned from Afghanistan.

"I didn't feel like I fit into society anymore after I came home from the war,” he said. “Marina really recognized that right off the bat. And she talked to me in a way that allowed me to open up. It allowed me to talk about my experiences and what it was like to come home."

Metevelis went on to live a full life, serving Tulsa as a founding member of "Up with Trees," and working at TCC for nearly 50 years.

Described as awe-inspiring, with an "infectious energy," she was a woman who left an impact on history, on Tulsa, and on everyone around her.

"It was an honor and a privilege to know her and even more honor for me to call her my friend,” Hanna said.

"It is truly extraordinary to see one person touch so many places and so many people,” Starks said. “And they all felt the same way. They all loved her. And they felt loved by her."

The Oklahoma Historical Society interviewed Marina for its Voices of Oklahoma project. You can listen to her stories by clicking here.