‘A giving person’

Elsie Nulle had graduated high school in New Jersey and was enrolled

in nursing school when an unusual opportunity arose.

She and a few of her cohorts were invited for tea with Franklin D.

Roosevelt’s mother to discuss the women’s military future. As the

First Mother explained, women who joined the service and filled

administrative positions freed men to fight on the front lines.

The talk with Roosevelt’s mother was one of the motivating factors

for Elsie Nulle, who became one of the first women to enlist in the

United States Marine Corps during World War II.

“She said that was like college to them,” said Nancy Watson, Elsie

Nulle’s daughter. “The military afforded them a chance to be a part

of a community ... Those were some of the best times of her life.”

A resident of Newport Beach, Elsie Nulle died Aug. 8. She was 82.

Elsie Nulle was part of a major recruitment effort in the early

1940s, when thousands of women enlisted. In 1943, at the age of 18,

she went to boot camp in North Carolina.

While stationed in South Carolina, she met fellow Marine George

Nulle. When the war was over, the two moved to Southern California,

where George Nulle had been raised. They were married in July 1946.

The couple lived in Corona del Mar while George Nulle was

stationed at the Tustin Marine Corps Air Station during the Korean

conflict. After moving to Pasadena, where they raised two children,

the family returned to Newport Beach in 1971.

Elsie Nulle worked as an administrative secretary for several

civil service agencies.

“She made people feel comfortable,” Watson said. “Her bosses

always felt comfortable putting her in high positions.”

Elsie Nulle was one of the first women to join Women in Military

Service to America, an organization of female veterans. She went to

Washington, D.C., in 2000 for an organization-sponsored memorial

ceremony, and she attended a recent convention in San Diego.

Elsie Nulle was also a member of Women Marines Assn.

Newport Beach resident Janet Shaw, a fellow member of Women In

Military Service to America, said Elsie Nulle was a dedicated friend.

“She drove me a lot of places after I gave up my car,” Shaw said.

“She was a giving person.”

Added Newport Beach resident Bunny Weber: “Her honesty and

reliability never went unnoticed. She was just a wonderful person.”

After retirement, Elsie Nulle focused her energy on her hobbies:

golfing, sewing and growing orchids.

Elsie Nulle volunteered at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in

the medical library for more than eight years, completing more than

1,500 hours of work.

“She wasn’t content to just sit,” Watson said. “She would be with

people if she could.”

Elsie Nulle’s husband died six months before she did.

* ELIA POWERS is the enterprise and general assignment reporter.

Reach him at (714) 966-4623 or at [email protected].