GEORGETOWN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — A lot has changed over Connie Formsma's 92 years of life, but her sense of humor remains.
"I never thought I'd ever live this long. And sometimes, my husband wonders why," Formsma joked Friday.
What else hasn't changed is her sharp memory.
"I can remember the day (World War II) started," Formsma said. "That's when things changed all over the country."
Things also changed for Formsma.
With so many men serving overseas during the war, she got a summer job at the old McInerney Spring & Wire factory in Grand Rapids.
At just 15 and 16 years old, she was working on oil tanks for military equipment.
Before the war, factory jobs were typically only held by men.
"I didn't tell everybody what a great person I was because I was working in a factory at 16 years old," Formsma said. "It was just another adventure for me."
A couple of years later, the war ended.
Formsma got married and became a nurse.
It wasn't until decades after that when she realized she was part of what had become a cultural icon.
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