NPR

'Do What's Right And Have Fun': Remembering A Mother With A Fighting Spirit

Rosella Liscum died at age 101 last week after contracting COVID-19. At StoryCorps in 2012, she told her daughter, "Just do what's in your heart. Do what's right and have fun."
Marlene Watson and Rosella "Rose" Liscum at their StoryCorps interview in Rensselaer Falls, N.Y., in 2012.

Editor's note: Jasmyn Morris, who co-produced this interview, is a distant cousin to Rose Liscum. Gert Uhl is Morris' great-grandmother.

Rosella "Rose" Liscum died at 101 years old last week in Ogdensburg, N.Y., after contracting the coronavirus, following a long, full life.

Back in 2012, Liscum, 93 at the time, sat down for StoryCorps with her daughter, Marlene Watson, then 66, to reflect on some of her memorable relationships with loved ones and her own unrelenting

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR2 min read
More Than 500 People Have Been Arrested At Pro-Palestinian Protests At Colleges
Students and others are protesting Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza and, in some cases, their school's investments in Israel. Presidents at several schools face calls to resign amid the protests.
NPR5 min read
Iran Women's Protests Are The Focus Of 'Persepolis' Author Marjane Satrapi's New Book
The French Iranian author and artist, best known for her graphic novel Persepolis, edited and contributed to a new graphic anthology titled Woman, Life, Freedom, inspired by Iran's recent protests.
NPR5 min readWorld
Blinken Tells China It's In Their Interest To Stop Helping Russia
NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken following his talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and top Chinese officials in Beijing.

Related Books & Audiobooks