Remembering
Kaddy...|
Kaddy was a storyteller...but everybody who met her has a Kaddy story....
If you have a story or a memory, please share it...
I AM A AVIATION HISTORIAN/PHOTOGRAPHER AND I HAVE BEEN BLESSED TO BE ABLE TO SHARE IN THE STORIES OF THE WASP THAT LIVE IN FLORIDA AND LAST NOVEMBER .THE WASP GATHERED AT THE TOM REILLY'S FLYING TIGER MUSEUM FOR VETERANS DAY WEEKEND,I HAD THE GREATEST TIME WITH THESE LIVING LEGENDS, I DID HAVE A GREAT TALK WITH KADDY AND WE TALKED ABOUT THE B-25 AND THE AIR RACING DAYS, SHE WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO GET A RIDE IN KILLER B(B-25) OWNED BY TOM REILLYS MUSEUM,SHE LATER WROTE THAT , THAT WAS ONE OF HER GREATEST HIGHLIGHTS IN HER LATER YEARS.I HAD JUST FOUND OUT ABOUT HER PASSING FROM LONI ANDERSON LAST WEEK,SHE AND ALL THE GIRLS ARE GREAT FRIENDS OF MINE AND WE WILL DEEPLY MISS KADDY BEING A PART OF OUR GET TOGETHERS AROUND FLORIDA.I HAVE HAD THE GREAT FORTUNE TO MEET A LOT OF THE HEROES FROM THE WWII ERA,BOMBER CREWS,FIGHTER PILOTS, ENLISTED,AND THE WASPS ARE HIGH ON MY LIST OF THE GREAT HEROES OF THE DAYS OF YESTERYEAR.GOD SPEED KADDY AND LOVE WILL ALWAYS BE WITH YOU, IN THE BLUE SKIES ABOVE US , AND IN THE HEAVENS THAT YOU CALL HOME NOW. GRADY A.LISK JR. FINE AVIATION PHOTOGRAPHS,233 VIRIGINIA AVE,LAKE PLACID FL.33852,SHADYWHISKERS@EARTHLINK.NET
I AM A AVIATION HISTORIAN/PHOTOGRAPHER AND I HAVE BEEN BLESSED TO BE ABLE TO SHARE IN THE STORIES OF THE WASP THAT LIVE IN FLORIDA AND LAST NOVEMBER .THE WASP GATHERED AT THE TOM REILLY'S FLYING TIGER MUSEUM FOR VETERANS DAY WEEKEND,I HAD THE GREATEST TIME WITH THESE LIVING LEGENDS, I DID HAVE A GREAT TALK WITH KADDY AND WE TALKED ABOUT THE B-25 AND THE AIR RACING DAYS, SHE WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO GET A RIDE IN KILLER B(B-25) OWNED BY TOM REILLYS MUSEUM,SHE LATER WROTE THAT , THAT WAS ONE OF HER GREATEST HIGHLIGHTS IN HER LATER YEARS.I HAD JUST FOUND OUT ABOUT HER PASSING FROM LONI ANDERSON LAST WEEK,SHE AND ALL THE GIRLS ARE GREAT FRIENDS OF MINE AND WE WILL DEEPLY MISS KADDY BEING A PART OF OUR GET TOGETHERS AROUND FLORIDA.I HAVE HAD TE GREAT FORTUNE TO MEET A LOT OF THE HEROES FROM THE WWII ERA,BOMBER CREWS,FIGHTER PILOTS, ENLISTED,AND THE WASPS ARE HIGH ON MY LIST OF THE GREAT HEROES OF THE DAYS OF YESTERYEAR.GOD SPEED KADDY AND LOVE WILL ALWAYS BE WITH YOU, IN THE BLUE SKIES ABOVE US , AND IN THE HEAVENS THAT CALL HOME NOW. GRADY A.LISK JR. FINE AVIATION PHOTOGRAPHS,233 VIRIGINIA AVE,LAKE PLACID FL.33852,SHADYWHISKERS@EARTHLINK.NET
I AM A AVIATION HISTORIAN/PHOTOGRAPHER AND I HAVE BEEN BLESSED TO BE ABLE TO SHARE IN THE STORIES OF THE WASP THAT LIVE IN FLORIDA AND LAST NOVEMBER .THE WASP GATHERED AT THE TOM REILLY'S FLYING TIGER MUSEUM FOR VETERANS DAY WEEKEND,I HAD THE GREATEST TIME WITH THESE LIVING LEGENDS, I DID HAVE A GREAT TALK WITH KADDY AND SHE WAS TELLING THE B-25 ,AND HER CAREER IN AVIATION,SHE WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO GET A RIDE IN KILLER B(B-25) OWNED BY TOM REILLYS MUSEUM,SHE LATER WROTE THAT , THAT WAS ONE OF HER GREATEST HIGHLIGHTS IN HER LATER YEARS.I HAD JUST FOUND OUT ABOUT HER PASSING FROM LONI ANDERSON LAST WEEK,SHE AND ALL THE GIRLS ARE GREAT FRIENDS OF MINE AND WE WILL DEEPLY MISS KADDY BEING A PART OF OUR GET TOGETHERS AROUND FLORIDA.
When I married in 1944, Kaddy flew down from Oklahoma City and gave me away. I'd never seen her wear a dress before and have no idea where she dug up the cotton golf dress -- her petticoat dangled nearly a foot (but no one noticed -- that was Kaddy). We kept in touch until 1970 when somehow what with marrying and moving, she lost my address and couldn't remember my new married name. I naturally thought she had died and mourned her loss -- until in mid April 2003 I received a newspaper clipping about her which my brother had cut out of the Gainesville paper. I immediately phoned her and we had a rousing reunion. On the ninth of May I went to Melrose and her daughter Nora drove her over to my nephew's restaurant where we reminisced and had a great time -- although she confided that she had recently undergone an operation to remove a growth from her lung -- but she was in her usual high spirits and said with chemo and radiation, she'd lick it. And she did -- until she contracted pneumonia and left us on May 30. To my deep sorrow, now I've lost Kaddy a second time -- only this time I don't have her exact forwarding address. I know where she is though, with her big heart and generosity of spirit, she is surely in heaven comparing her WASP wings with those of the angels -- she has already become a pal of St. Peter and will act as our advocate, she will say a good word for us and entreat him to let each of us in when we fly up to the pearly gates. Kaddy was a NATURAL! Kaddy loved everyone -- and everyone loved her!
When I married in 1944, Kaddy flew down from Oklahoma City and gave me away. I'd never seen her wear a dress before and have no idea where she dug up the cotton golf dress -- her petticoat dangled nearly a foot (but no one noticed -- that was Kaddy). We kept in touch until 1970 when somehow what with marrying and moving, she lost my address and couldn't remember my new married name. I naturally thought she had died and mourned her loss -- until in mid April 2003 I received a newspaper clipping about her which my brother had cut out of the Gainesville paper. I immediately phoned her and we had a rousing reunion. On the ninth of May I went to Melrose and her daughter Nora drove her over to my nephew's restaurant where we reminisced and had a great time -- although she confided that she had recently undergone an operation to remove a growth from her lung -- but she was in her usual high spirits and said with chemo and radiation, she'd lick it. And she did -- until she contracted pneumonia and left us on May 30. To my deep sorrow, now I've lost Kaddy a second time -- only this time I don't have her exact forwarding address. I know where she is though, with her big heart and generosity of spirit, she is surely in heaven comparing her WASP wings with those of the angels -- she has already become a pal of St. Peter and will act as our advocate, she will say a good word for us and entreat him to let each of us in when we fly up to the pearly gates. Kaddy was a NATURAL! Kaddy loved everyone -- and everyone loved her!
On a Saturday night,Kaddy,Connie Turner and Virginia Woodruff determined to find a steak in Sweetwater as a change to the creamed chipped beef (sh-- on a shingle) so often served up on the serrated metal trays at the messhall. They ordered up T-bones at the Bomber Grill and put away quite a few beers until they appeared. As they sliced into the meat, two heads popped up over the divider of the next booth and one head shouted, "Migawd, what's that you are eating? It smells awful!" "Horse!" shouted Kaddy (hoarsely) chewing vigorously. My steak is a cut from one of Hitler's Lippizaner stallions and Woodruff and Turner, here, they're eating Hirohito's polopony!"
How sad I was to hear about Kaddy!!! I never had the chance to meet her until an airshow in Kissimmee last year. What a wonderful experience it was for me to have some sort of an insight into the woman. I came away feeling that I had indeed met a friend. She had no way home from Kissimmee and I had volunteered t drive her home. She felt that this was an imposition and refused my offer as she thought it was much out of my way. I could not make her understand that I considered it a priviledge to do this. I, to this day, am saddened that I did not have the opportunity to spend several more hours with her on such a trip. (reprinted from an email with permmission) SHIRLEY KRUSE, 44-W-6
Kaddy gave us hours of her time through interviews, emails, letters and phone conversations during production of the documentary The WASPs: Women Pilots of WW2 for National Public Radio last December. Kaddy told us so many stories and was incredibly generous with her time. While we only met her face-to-face over that weekend last year in Tuscon, we felt like we knew her. She was sharp, funny, smart and way ahead of her time (like all the WASPs we have met). We will truly miss her. We put a notice up on our website saying as much. Teal Krech and Joe Richman, Radio Diaries, New York, New York, www.radiodiaries.org
I had the privilege of knowing Kaddy when we use to race our sail boats, she loved her O'Day Mariner and could single-hand outsail all of us. She was quite in demand in the area as a speaker for various organizations, aviation an otherwise. A wonderful and very colorful lady that will be missed by all. Red S.
I first met Kaddy Steele on this wonderful website a little over a year ago . She was the only WASP that I have contacted . She was one of my grandmothers' Bay mates . My Grandmother , Gene K. Smith Wakeley passed away Oct. 1993 . When I wrote to Kaddy and asked her if she remembered my Grandmother , she said "of course, she was the tall, pretty blonde that giggled alot". She was right . I wanted so badley to meet Kaddy in person and I'm sad to say that I never got that chance . I so wanted to talk to her and ask her all sorts of questions that I never had the oppurtunity to ask my Grandmother . I'm proud to have known Kaddy and my thoughts and prayers are with her and her family . Patricia A. Page-Booton
Kaddy and I were together from the time we arrived at Sweetwater until deactivation. We were in class 43-7. After graduation, 20 members of our class went to B-25 transition school at Mather Field in Sacramento, CA. Upon completion, 10 went to March Field CA and 10 (including Kaddy) of us went to Biggs Field, El Paso, Texas. There we were assigned to the 6th Tow Target Squadron. We flew lots of different planes, had a wonderful CO, made lots of friends from the other classes who were already there, and just had a great time. Kaddy was always a leader. Kaddy, Caro Bayley Bosca, Tommie Thompson and I, always liked the strafing missions. These were usually flown in the A-24, A-25 or the P-47. One day Kaddy and I were flying a strafing mission in the A-24's and we saw a lonely jeep bringing up the rear of many trucks heading out in the desert from El Paso. We decided to stare that poor little jeep. When we went over, the driver just waved at us instead of hitting the dirt like we thought he should. Kaddy says, "lets go back and get that SOB, and we went over him again at a lower altitude. When we came back over to check him again, he had jumped out of the jeep letting it go off into the boondocks, and was standing there waving his white T-shirt to surrender. Mission accomplished from Kaddy's viewpoint and we headed back to base. Some of us have remained close to Kaddy over the years. She visited me in Sedona many times, and was with me the first week of December,2002 when we returned from Palm Desert CA. We had a wonderful time and I treasure the time and the memories. I am going to miss her terribly. She was one special person. Mickey (Nell) Bright Class 43-7 2055 Maxwellhouse Dr. Sedona AZ 86336
I'll never forget the Tucson convention, because that's when I discovered that Kaddy Landry Steele was not the tough, grumpy person I had always thought she was. I had always been afraid of Kaddy, and had never talked to her, but my opinion of her forever changed one day at Tucson. That day, I saw my two daughters talking to her for a long time, but I didn't go near. Afterwards, I questioned them about her demeanor. When I told them how I was afraid of her, they both were so shocked and said, 'Mother, you have no reason to feel that way. She's NICE, she's kind' (and a lot of other complimentary adjectives). Later that day, I sought her out, and I told her how I had always felt about her and how my daughters felt, and I apologized. She had a good laugh--no, a GREAT laugh, we had a big hug and a friendship was sealed, if only for a short time. I last saw Kaddy three weeks ago at her home in Gainesville. We shared a couple of big hugs, Nancy and I promised her that we would come back in a couple of months when she felt better and sit down with her so we could record all her wonderful stories. A parting hug and wave, and we departed for Texas. I'm so sorry that it took sixty years for me to get to know the 'real' Kaddy. I will miss her. Deanie Parrish, 44-w-4
We were at Kitty Hawk for a program in 1998 and I was in a wheel chair with a broken leg. Kaddy was there and some other WASPs....turned out she had a full 36 hours until her plane home so I invited her to stay at my daughter's house and we would take her to the plane in Norfolk. She arrived at supper time and we had a fine visit. She had never met my family but she was soon just "folks" (she always asked about them when we met). The next day my daughter took us on a tour of Norfolk & Portsmouth until it was time to go to the plane. She told me a great deal about her early life and we all had a wonderful time. The only thing I "hate" her for is that since I was chair-bound, she taught me to play "Free-cell" on the computer and I have been addicted ever since. Out of 32000 games, I have played 20200.....how to waste time constructively! I will really miss her and consider her one of the Ultimate WASPs! Jean T. McCreery, ed. WASP News