HONOLULU (KHON2) -- Just weeks before the 83rd Commemoration of the attack on Pearl Harbor, a well-known Rosie the Riveter died on the Valley Isle. Get Hawaii's latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You Ninety-eight-year-old Lucille "Cille" MacDonald was a longtime resident of Maui and had been planning to once again attend the commemoration, along with other Rosies. “Cille was diminutive, tough, spunky and beloved, an ambassador of all the Rosies who had a key role in helping win World War II,” said Aileen Utterdyke, president and CEO of Pacific Historic Parks. “We will miss her so much.” MacDonald lost the home she and her husband built in the Lahaina fire. A neighbor helped her escape and she spent several nights sleeping in the bed of her neighborʻs truck. "I am so heart broken,” her longtime friend, Dodo Dunaj said. “Cille was the most incredibly inspiring and strongest woman I've ever known. I can't imagine my life without her. I will treasure our memories made together, her unbelievable stories, and the Rosie journey that I was so blessed to be a part of with her. She is a true American icon, my forever hero." Pearl Harbor hero remembered for valor and kindness Twenty-seven Rosies were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in April for "their work on the Homefront during World War II." MacDonald was one of those awarded. She worked as a journeyman welder when the war broke out, helping to build ships. Find more Hawaii, Oahu, Maui and Kauai news here The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest honor that can be bestowed on civilians.