She lived a life of adventure that spanned two continents. She fell in love with a World War II fighter pilot, barely escaped Europe ahead of Benito Mussolinis fascists, ground steel for the U.S. war effort and advocated for her disabled daughter in a far less enlightened time. She was, her daughter said, someone who didnt make a habit of giving up.

And then this month, at age 105, Primetta Giacopinis life ended the way it began in a pandemic.

I think my mother would have been around quite a bit longer if she hadnt contracted COVID, her 61-year-old daughter, Dorene Giacopini, said. She was a fighter. She had a hard life and her attitude always was ... basically, all Americans who were not around for World War II were basically spoiled brats.