Willa Mae was born and raised in Iowa by her parents Phil and Ona Kriese, along with her 4 brothers and 5 sisters.  She was number 8 of the 10 children, the youngest daughter and the last surviving sibling. Together they struggled but survived the Depression.  From this she learned the value of money and the hard work required to earn it during such difficult times.

While working at Montgomery Ward she met Ernest Brant and they later married in 1942.  They had one son Ernest Brant, Jr. (Jay).  Tragically Ernest Sr. had heart trouble as a result of Rheumatic Fever as a child and passed away not long after Jay's birth, leaving her with a baby to raise on her own.

This was during WWII.  As she needed to provide income for herself, as well as contribute to the war effort, she went to work at International Harvester in Davenport, Iowa.  She was hired to work in the office; however, found out that she could make more money in the factory, so she then worked wiring bogies on the    M-4 Sherman Tanks.  She was well suited to do this type of work due to her diminutive size.  At the time she was 5'1" and weighed 90 pounds.

It was while working at the tank factory that she met Lorain Cockayne (Larry).  He had gone to work at the factory after being released from the Army Air Corp Pilot Training Program where he was a primary flight instructor.  Larry was a stunt pilot and Willa Mae loved to fly with him.  Later they would individually move to California with the intent to marry.  They married in Los Angeles in September 1945. Willa Mae was mortified after the ceremony when young Jay would tell people "I was sleep in the backseat of the car when my parents got married!" Eventually, the family moved to Hawthorne in the mid 1940's, where they went on to have two daughters Jane and Julie.

It came as a shock to the family when Larry sadly passed away unexpectedly in 1963.  Willa Mae found herself widowed again, this time at age 41, and again, faced with a family to support and children to raise. It was her stubbornness and determination that carried her through these challenging times.

She went back to school and then to work at Pacific Bank as a teller. She continued to work there until she obtained a job with Centinela Valley School District as Attendance Clerk at Lennox High School.  She worked at Lennox High School for over 20 years and exceled at working with the high school kids. The teenagers adored her and often sought her opinion and guidance that she was always ready to give, sometimes more honestly than they would like!

After retiring from the school district she moved to El Nido Estates in San Juan Capistrano where she immersed herself in a number of the activities.  She especially loved the Canasta Club. Eventually she found she missed the stimulation of work, so then went to work part-time at R & J Sheet Metal until she retired for the last time at the age of 89.

Willa Mae was always so proud of her children, Jay, Jane and Julie, and absolutely loved being a grandmother.  She made every effort to participate in their activities.   She was invariably ready to chat over a friendly game of cards or Aggravation. But she always played to win!  Willa Mae never missed an opportunity to praise her family.  She was well known for greeting loved ones by calling them beautiful or amazing. Sara, Bonnie, Melanie, Eric, Julie Jean and Shannon were each and all adored.  She even took all six of her grandchildren on a special vacation as celebration for graduating high school.  She took them in pairs of two, but never two from the same family.  Then these grandchildren created 5 great-grandchildren, Nathan, Chase, Max, Molly and Torin.  Willa Mae never wanted to miss a minute of their lives.  No matter the effort, she always showed up.

After her family, Willa Mae's next love was travel. Trips to Sigourney, Iowa and Arizona to see family were a must.  She visited every state in the United States, with Alaska being her favorite. Cruised the Caribbean numerous times along with adventures to Haiti. She traveled to multiple countries in Africa, to include Egypt where she sailed the Nile. She went to Peru, Columbia and other parts of South America encompassing frequent trips to Mexico. One trip to Mexico even included a train trip through Copper Canyon. Explored Russia, Japan and China where she climbed part of the Great Wall along with traversing throughout most of Europe.  Drove across Australia, and toured all of New Zealand.  Traveled via train across Canada, to include tours along the way. She delighted in cruising the oceans and rivers, train journeys, car trips and group tours. Most of all she enjoyed traveling with her beloved family.

Fate born her just in time to experience the Great Depression yet, by the time God called her home, she had lived and labored as a very proud member of America's Greatest Generation.  She was one strong lady! Her life was not without fault or mistakes.  Willa Mae was a human being who truly enjoyed living.  And she shared that joy with her family at every opportunity.  She could always think of a reason to celebrate and gather her family together.  Especially if there was going to be pie!

A heartfelt thank you to all of the wonderful ladies who cared for Willa Mae through her journey with dementia:  Sonya, Christy, Verity, Jean, Janice, Hannah, Judy, and Eti.  The kindness and care that they showed her was invaluable and meant the world to her as well as her family.