CELIA FOCKLER

By Daron Deonier

At first, I was very apprehensive about the assignment that had been looming over my head for the past three weeks.  Ever since the very day it was announced that we would be interviewing people who had lived during World War II, I had been questioning my abilities.  I had not questioned my abilities as a writer; more in question were my abilities to communicate with a stranger, with whom I had nothing in common.  The thought of interviewing a complete stranger about her life, especially someone who lived such a different life than I, was more than a little bit frightening.  I walked into my English class on a warm Monday morning and felt strangely intimidated; for there sat a large group of elderly citizens that we would soon be interviewing.  But my intimidation soon turned to elation as I was introduced to Celia Fockler, my assigned interviewee.  Her bright smile quickly quieted my fears and put me at ease.  Well, enough about me, it is time for you to hear about a woman who has an amazing life story and an even more amazing personality.

Celia Fockler, affectionately referred to as Sissy by her friends, was born in 1922, the middle child of her family.  Her two brothers died at a terribly early age, one passing on when he was three days old, the other dying upon being born.  Celia and her sister were stars in their hometown of Rainer, Oregon.  They sang on the radio for a furniture store's commercial.  Celia was an active young lady who enjoyed swimming, biking, dancing, and the outdoors.  She competed on the school track team, running relays and competing in high jump.  Celia’s athleticism was not limited to track; she also played basketball.  She grew up with a very caring family, which included a strict father.  He was a very loving man but kept a close eye on his daughters.  When dating became an issue, her father was known to come looking for his daughters if they were not home on time.  The two sisters had a signal with their father for inviting dates inside: if he lowered the newspaper, that meant yes; if he kept the paper up, then the boy didn’t have a chance.

When the war came to fruition, Celia decided to help the war effort by moving to the Oregon coast to be a ship welder.

At this time in her life, Celia was twenty-one years old, earning a dollar twenty-five an hour, working seven days a week.  Her daily attire included a heavy helmet, metal-toed boots, and leather clothing, which were all required welding attire.  Knowing nothing about welding, having no previous training, Celia faced a big challenge.  She started the first three weeks of her welding career on the morning shift, as a worker on the tack crew, welding the sides of ships.  After those short three weeks, she was moved up to work on the regular welding crew.

The job was not only extremely physically challenging, it also tested her inner strength.  Women in her work place were faced with a great challenge: proving they could do a man’s job.  The women welders were under constant supervision and scrutiny; a supervisor was always close behind.  Celia had to work twice as hard to prove herself.

"Sissy" was the name monogrammed on her leather work jacket, which she wore proudly.  Knowing that she was being a contributing member of society was fulfilling to her.  Celia also found her job to be exciting; it was an outdoor job where she met and learned a lot about people.  She formed many close, enduring friendships during her years at the Oregon shipyard.  Being the young, dynamic woman she was, Celia had her share of fun.  Working the morning shift at the shipyard allowed her to have a great nightlife.  Celia went dancing nightly with her friends. During the war nearly everything was rationed: food, gas, coffee, and most importantly, shoes.  A self-proclaimed shoe-a-holic, Celia traded her liquor rations for dancing shoes.

Upon the completion of the war, Celia’s life became very different.  She had met her future husband, Stewart Fockler, at an Oregon shipyard.  Before meeting Stewart, Celia was forced to take a lengthy ferry to get to her workplace.  Stewart had a car and worked at the same shipyard that she did.  He offered to give her rides to work, so I guess you could say it was love at first drive.  Stewart was a native of Pullman and moved back to Pullman in 1947 with Celia in tow.  When Celia moved to Pullman, she was less than impressed.  The hills were rolling and barren, there was no ocean, and there were no trees or mountains in sight.

Celia soon found her calling in Pullman.  She began working for the university as a cook for the football team.  Celia continued to feed the Cougs for the next twenty years.  She has seen many Rose Bowls and still remains a Cougar fan.

It was on her husband Stewart’s very ship that the treaty of Tokyo Bay was signed.  Sadly, Stewart died in 1994 due to lung cancer, likely caused by welding fumes.

Celia feels that her generation was forced to grow up rather quickly and at a young age learned to survive day by day.  This lifestyle has contributed to her life philosophy. 

"You should look to the future and live each day for its worth."

Celia definitely practices what she preaches.  At seventy-nine years of age, Celia stills goes rafting with her family, she has parasailed numerous times, and she has gone ballooning.  With all these adventures you’d think that she’d be out of ideas, but she has not yet fulfilled her aspiration to jump out of an airplane.