A World War II vet who worked as a community servant and machine operator, then traveled the world recently turned 105 and says the key to a fulfilling life is faith, family, and to “try everything.” Susan “Susie” Rossetti of Watervliet, New York, told Fox News Digital, “Everything and anything. I never said ‘no’ to anything. If I couldn’t do it, I tried it. I didn’t ever say, ‘I can’t do it.’ When it happened, I tried it.”
Rossetti said she treasures her tight-knit community as a lifelong resident of Watervliet. She said, “I grew up here, two blocks away. I love Watervliet. It’s been a good life for me and my family. I lived here all my life, and I love it.” Her community seems to value her the same way. Watervliet city councilwoman Barb Diamon, who’s also a family friend of Rossetti’s, told Fox News Digital, “She is just an amazing woman.”
Diamond added, “She didn’t miss anything. She’s been a staple at community events and birthday parties. She was the grand marshal in our Memorial Day parade in 2019 before COVID hit. She threw out the first pitch on the opening day of Little League. She’s everywhere. She never missed anything.” Watervliet Mayor Charles Patricelli, who also grew up with Rossetti at the center of community and church events, agreed.
He told Fox News Digital, “She’s just so friendly. Very involved in our church. As a kid, she was someone we respected, but at that time, you know, we really didn’t know a lot about her history. When she was around 100, we found out she was a WWII veteran, and we actually interviewed her. The stories she was telling — she was incredible. Sharp as a whip.” In 1943, at age 24, Rossetti left her home and job as a seamstress to serve her country, enlisting in the U.S. Army.
She said, “Everybody else was gone. I said, ‘Well, I have nothing to do. I’m going to go, too. I want to do my part.” She landed at Williams Air Force Base in Chandler, Arizona, almost 2,500 miles from home. Rossetti added, “I was a mimeograph operator in the message center at Williams. My responsibility was to copy everything that was supposed to be printed out as mail in the message center. All the mail went through there. I did all the mail.”
Rossetti said she knew nothing about operating a mimeograph machine when she arrived on base but considered it an exciting challenge. When the war ended, she went home and returned to her job as a seamstress for Tiny Town Togs, a renowned New York children’s clothing maker. In 1958, Rossetti married a local firefighter, Frank Rossetti, who died 15 years ago. The two didn’t have children but surrounded themselves with family, including their niece Giovina Diamond. Rossetti was an avid golfer into her early 90s. Today, she enjoys watching golf tournaments on TV.
She said faith has been a guiding force in Rossetti’s life, calling it “one of the most important things in my life.” Rossetti’s “try everything” philosophy has left her with no regrets, she said, nothing she wishes she had done but didn’t.