Connie Palacioz

Connie Palacioz, 101, retired cosmetologist and Wichita’s own “Rosie the Riveter,” died Sunday, April 19, 2026.

Connie was a lifetime member of Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Newton, serving as a building committee member, a CCD teacher, and an active member of the Altar Society.

She was known for her authentic Mexican cooking skills and for her hospitality at her home or wherever she served her food.

Connie worked for the Boeing Company in Wichita from 1943 through 1945 and was a “Rosie the Riveter” on the B-29 production line in the factory that built 1,644 B-29 Super Fortress bombers.

From 2000 until her death, Connie spent 26 years serving as a volunteer for B-29 “Doc”, first as a member of the restoration team that spent more than 450,000 hours over 16 years restoring the historic B-29, and then as an advocate traveling with “Doc” across the United States sharing the story of the Greatest Generation and the legacies of the men and women who designed, built and flew the B-29’s during WWII.

Connie is preceded in death by her father, Jose Cuellar; mother and step-father, Guadalupe and Aurelio “Willie” Castaneda; siblings, Lala (Henry) Rodriguez, Jay Cuellar, Isie (Tony) Palacioz and  Russ Cuellar; and father of her children, Chris Palacioz.

She is survived by her daughter, Leticia “Tish” (Ran) Nielsen of Wichita; sons, Joe (Cristina) Palacioz of Hutchinson, Chris (Vickie Jones) Palacioz of Wichita, Jerry (Debbie) Palacioz of Newton; foster son, Tony (Sophie) Martinez of Newton; sister-in-law, Judy Cuellar of Newton; 13 grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren; 9 great-great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.

Celebration of Life Memorial Service and Open House for Connie will be at B-29 Doc Hangar, Education & Visitors Center, 1788 S. Airport Rd., Wichita, KS 67209, on Friday, May 1, 2026. Doors will open at 1:00 pm, and the service will begin at 2:00 pm, followed by a public reception and viewing until 5:00 pm.

Rosary will be at 6:00 pm, Sunday, May 3, 2026; Funeral Mass will be at 10:00 am, Monday, May 4, 2026, both at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 861 N. Socora St., Wichita, KS 67212. Services will be live streamed at: https://www.youtube.com/@st.francisofassisicatholic3033/streams  Additional parking for the service will be available at Bishop Carroll Catholic High School with shuttles transporting back & forth. Graveside service will be at 3:00 pm, Monday, May 4, 2026, at St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery, Newton, KS.

In lieu of flowers, memorials have been established with Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, 415 S. Ash St., Newton, KS 67114; Bishop Carroll Catholic High School, 8101 W. Central Ave., Wichita, KS 67212; and Doc’s Friends, P.O. Box 771089, Wichita, KS 67277.

Services in care of Downing & Lahey Mortuary – West Chapel. Share tributes online at: www.dlwichita.com