Connie Palacioz, a pioneering Mexican-American 'Rosie the Riveter' whose wartime craftsmanship helped build the B-29 Superfortress and whose later volunteerism saved it, died on April 19, 2026, at the age of 101.

Born Connie Cuellar on January 16, 1925, in Newton, Kansas, to Mexican immigrant parents, she learned the value of hard work at a young age. At fifteen, she took her first job pressing uniforms in Newton for 25 cents an hour. After graduating from Newton High School in 1943, an eighteen year old Palacioz heard a radio advertisement calling for women workers and eagerly answered the call. She completed a two week training course at a Boeing trade school in Wichita to learn riveting and drilling before joining the B-29 Superfortress assembly line.

On the factory floor, she formed a historic partnership with Jerri Warden, a Black woman who served as her bucker. Together, they broke racial barriers in the 1940s defense industry. Their teamwork was defined by an uncompromising standard of excellence. The duo riveted 1,644 pilot sections of B-29 bombers, and their work consistently passed inspection.

When World War II concluded in August 1945, Palacioz was laid off from Boeing. She transitioned into a new chapter, raising four children, Joe, Chris, Jerry, and Leticia, as a single mother. In 1958, she attended beauty school and spent many years working as a professional hairdresser.

The circle of her craftsmanship closed in the year 2000 when she began a sixteen year volunteer mission to restore a B-29 Superfortress nicknamed 'Doc' to flying condition. During the restoration, she made a stunning discovery. The nose section of the aircraft still contained the original hardware she and Warden had installed in 1944. "The rivets are still the originals that I put in," Palacioz noted, according to KANSAS! Magazine. "Only seven were missing."

Her dedication to the aircraft and its history made her a beloved figure. She served as a regular volunteer and ambassador at the B-29 Doc Hangar, Education and Visitors Center, sharing her story with visitors. A permanent exhibit honoring her and other 'Rosies' was established at the facility. In May 2022, she was inducted as the inaugural member of the Women in Aviation Kansas Women's Hall of Fame. (The Wichita Eagle) Her daughter, Tish Nielsen, observed the profound impact of her mother's outreach. "She's met thousands of people and signed thousands of autographs. People have really embraced her and her story ... that's what America is all about."

Palacioz also received recognition from the Kansas Legislature in March 2024 for her historic contributions to the aviation industry. Later that year, she traveled to Normandy, France, with a delegation of veterans for the 80th anniversary of D-Day. She celebrated her 100th birthday on January 16, 2025, with a community event at the hangar, as reported by High Plains Journal.

Connie Palacioz stood as a living bridge between the Greatest Generation and modern aviation. She did not just build history; she returned more than half a century later to save it, finding her own handiwork still perfectly intact. Her lifelong standard of excellence remains bolted into the very frame of the aircraft she twice helped take to the skies, ensuring her legacy will continue to soar for generations to come.