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- American Press (Lake Charles, LA)
May 11, 2007
Grace Addison "Aunt Meme" passed away May 9, 2007, at the age of 82, in Lake Charles. She maintained a smile on her face, a twinkle in her eye, a sharp wit and a kind heart for all that touched her life.
She was one of nine children born to Converse Jason Addison and Bessie Barrett Addison on December 13, 1924, in Beaumont, Texas. As a young woman, she worked at the Delta Theater. During the Second World War, she took a job at the Lake Charles Air Base, paving the way for women after her to occupy traditionally male jobs.
She moved to California in the mid-1940s with her grandfather, Joseph Barrett, to help him with his gold mining claim, setting off dynamite and looking for, and finding, gold nuggets. After that adventure, she worked for the next 40 years for Rohr Aircrafts on an assembly line building planes. It is said that Grace Addison was the model used to draw the poster of Rosie the Riveter. She earned her pilots license in her spare time and enjoyed photography, which included developing her own film. As an entrepreneur, she owned and operated several businesses in National City, Calif. One of her business was a pool hall and bar.
After retiring, she donated her time helping refurbish historic planes at the San Diego Aerospace Museum. At 69, she moved back to Lake Charles to make her dream of having a residential community named after her father, which became a reality in 1995 with the opening of Jason Arms. She lived by the motto she learned from her wise father, which was to "Feed the Poor, Educate the Ignorant, and Bury the Dead." To this end, she has founded the Addison Family Foundation, whose mission is to provide funds for charitable, scientific, literary and educational purposes. This foundation already has provided several scholarships to individuals in the Philippines.
She was preceded in death by one sister and four brothers Verna Addison White, Joseph, Leroy, Connie and Lloyd Addison. She is survived by two sisters and one brother Bessie Addison Fussell of Alvin Texas, Nina Addison Gilbert of Shell Knob, Mo., and Arnold Addison of Ragley, and numerous nieces and nephews. Grandchildren & Great Grandchildren
We thought of you with love today But that is nothing new. We thought about you yesterday And the day before that too. We think of you in silence We often speak your name. But all we have are memories,
And your picture in a frame. Your memory is our keepsake, Of which we'll never part. God has you in His keeping, We have you in our hearts.
We Love & Miss You DaughtersVergie Ardoin & Leontine McIntyre,
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1924 - 2007 (82 years)
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