World War II veteran Shirley H. Raegor (third from right) was honored at a brick-laying ceremony Oct. 17 at Veterans Memorial Park in Franklin.( Photo provided by The Franklin Press)FRANKLIN — Seaman First Class Shirley H. Reagor, 101, returned to her hometown Oct. 17 to be honored for her military service during World War II – as a “Rosie the Riveter” and in the U.S. Coast Guard.
Her long-awaited trip home was sponsored by AARP’s Wish of A Lifetime, which helps older adults have a chance to experience dreams come true.
Raegor, who now lives in Houston, Texas, was recognized during a brick-laying ceremony at Veterans Memorial Park and inducted into the American Legion Post 108 as its oldest living member.
A convert to Catholicism at the age of 95, she was raised as a Southern Baptist in this small town in the mountains but has for most of her life always been deeply involved in the Catholic Church in one way or another.
After the war, Raegor moved to New Orleans, where she met and married her two children’s father, who was Catholic. She sent both their children to Catholic schools for their spiritual and academic educations. They both became Catholic, and her son went on to become a priest.
“My faith in God has meant everything to me,” Raegor says. “I grew up walking to Cowee Baptist Church with my brothers and our friends every Sunday. And I remember my mother reading the Bible every night.
“I prayed and trusted God to protect my brothers and myself in the service. In the Coast Guard, I met girls from many different Christian faiths, and I learned to respect them all.”
Raegor says she wanted her children “to have a strong faith like my mother gave us kids. It was quite a surprise when my son shared that he wanted to study to become a Catholic priest. But what a blessing in ways I could never have dreamed of... I’m so proud of him and the work he does.”
In Houston, after the death of her second husband and with her grown children away, Reagor was impressed by the spiritual and emotional support she received from St. Cyril of Alexandria Church and its parish ministries. She entered the Church there in 2015.
Like many parishioners impacted by COVID-19 and concerned with safety, Reagor regularly attends Mass through St. Cyril’s livestream as well other broadcasts.
“My mother is a trailblazer – as a World War II veteran, Rosie the Riveter, a working woman in her civic life and as a centenarian in the aging process,” says Raegor’s daughter, Patricia Samsel.
In addition to her two adult children and other family members, Raegor’s lifelong friend, Hazel McWherter, accompanied her to the ceremony in their hometown Oct. 17.
“She and Hazel were cut from the same cloth that the 20s and 30s pressed forward,” Samsel notes. “They persevered through difficult times with grace, faith and fortitude.”
On being honored with a brick at Veterans Memorial Park, Raegor says, “It seems like a fuss, as I just wanted to serve my country. I guess my life has come full circle. I’m very grateful.”
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter. The Franklin Press and Texas Catholic contributed.