Marion C.
Hanrahan
WASP 43-W-3
|
Dear Nancy,
Before it is impossible for me to do so I want to thank you for your
kindness and the tremendous amount of time and effort you have given
to promoting the memory of the WASPs.
Although I stopped smoking over 40 years ago the cigarettes, given so
generously in the service, had done their damage. I am in the
very advanced stage of emphysema which is progressing rapidly.
This is not a sad song, for release from the pain and indignity of
this insidious disease will be welcome. I have been blessed with a
very full and long life for which I am most grateful.
God bless you and keep you well,
Marion |
Marion C. Hanrahan:
THE GREATEST WASP I NEVER MET
My latest emails had come back…bounced as they say. I thought it might be a mistake, because that happens sometimes, online. I didn’t want to call because she had been fighting emphazema and it was hard for her to talk. So, I just prayed and I waited. Then, the news came.
Marion C. Hanrahan passed away on July 15, 2003.
Now, it’s too late. Too late to tell her how much her emails and her support had meant. Too late to tell her how much her friendship had meant…and, too late to tell her that I’d framed the drawing she sent me of her ‘alter ego’. I just couldn’t put it up for auction on ebay as she had suggested. Some things are just more important than money.
She emailed beautiful pictures she took off her balcony in Moss Beach, right near Half Moon Bay in Northern California. She was awed and humbled by the incredible beauty of a sunset…and the birds that would fly close. It lifted her spirits as she fought to breathe.
The wonderful thing I remember most about Marion is her sense of humor and her humility. “I didn’t do anything special…I just loved to fly!” Just like so many of the WASP I’ve met, Marion was proud she served but not one to shine a light on herself.
Marion touched my life with her kindness and her encouraging words. Her sweet cartoon, "Hazy Maisey" was just like Marion...curious, kind and full of optimism. She created her while in training at Houston as a member of the third class of WASP trainees. Hazy Maisey was delightful and charming. Hazy Masey was Marion.
One of my proudest possessions is an original drawing that Marion sent when I first began publishing web pages on the WASP. She sent the original...and then she sent a brand new drawing...it was a sample..."I can draw these to say 'thank you' to people who believe in what you're doing...as a personal 'thank you card'."
She wanted to help. Now, it's the only one I have...and a bittersweet reminder of so many other WASP across America who have not had a chance to share their stories and their talents.
Marion's original Hazy Maisey
Her 2000 version