Finding the Hello Girls: A Journey to California

In December 2024, our Hello Girls team successfully concluded a busy year of walking the halls of Congress and campaigning for the Hello Girls Congressional Gold Medal.   Our Hello Girls Research group, which was formed during the Gold Medal campaign, continued to meet regularly.   As we worked on each Hello Girl’s genealogy, we also prioritized locating her descendants.  Our long-term goal is to invite as many descendants as possible to join our Hello Girls Congressional Gold Medal ceremony, which we anticipate will be held in 2027.

With 2024 behind us, I thought about the year ahead and where the journey would take us.

In January, I heard from my friend, Evelyn, whom I met on a WWI tour in France back in 2018.  She extended an invitation to visit her and enjoy the nearby sites in Stanford.  She also sent me a handwritten list of twenty-six Hello Girls who were buried in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Then, I thought about my long-time friend Julie, who lives close to San Francisco, whom I hadn’t seen since 2012.   I decided to combine a vacation and a trip to explore the cemeteries to see the final resting places of the San Francisco Bay Area Hello Girls.

In February, 2025, I packed my warm-weather clothing and boarded a flight to San Francisco.   I was excited to see Julie after such a long time.  We experienced many adventures together over the years, including a road trip to Alaska in 1994 in a ‘74 Ford pickup truck, which stranded us *only* three times on the long journey to Anchorage.   We reminisced and laughed about those days.  Julie’s a good sport and was up for the task of looking for Hello Girls’ gravesites.  She knows the area well, and I’m grateful to have her as my guide.   Friday morning, we looked at Evelyn’s handwritten list of Hello Girls’ burial locations and set off for Colma, CA.

Holy Cross Cemetery in Colma

I discovered that Colma is famously known as the “City of Souls”, as over 1.5 million deceased residents outnumber the roughly 1,500 living residents. By the early 1900s, San Francisco banned new burials due to space limitations and ordered the relocation of existing cemeteries to Colma.

A total of twelve Hello Girls are buried in Colma cemeteries.    Eight are interred in Holy Cross Cemetery, so we started there.  It was an overcast, chilly day; so much for sunny California.   We stopped by the busy office and were given a map and information on the row and plot for each of the eight Hello Girls.  This is a big cemetery, much larger than the ones back in my home state of New Hampshire.

Carolyn Timbie at Irma Armamet’s unmarked gravesite in Holy Cross Cemetery in 2025.

Our search began with Laurence Pechin.  We found the Pechin headstone, old and partially covered with a yellow lichen. Two names were inscribed, but not Laurence’s. The dates listed ranged from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s. We were confused as to why Laurence’s name wasn’t on the marker. Did we have the correct one?

A helpful groundskeeper helped Carolyn Timbie locate the Mahoney headstone at Holy Cross Cemetery in 2025.

We then looked for the next-closest marker on our map, Marguerite Mahony.   Here, the rows are curved and not clearly labeled.  We flagged down one of the grounds’ crew to help us locate her marker.    We gave him a quick rundown about the Hello Girls story and our mission.  He was “all in”!  The three of us walked back and forth with no success.   We thanked him and decided to move on.

A couple of minutes later, he called out to us to say he had found Mahony’s grave marker, which was very small and easy to miss. The name inscribed was Daniel Mahoney, with no reference to Marguerite. Again, there was no first name identifying her.

Next, Julie and I drove to an area where two Hello Girls are buried in close proximity.  The flat markers are evenly spaced in straight rows.   We counted the plot numbers and quickly located the grave marker of Jeanne Bouchet, our third Hello Girl on the list.  We were relieved to see her full name.  Not surprisingly, there was no WWI recognition on her headstone as she died in 1960, nineteen years before the Hello Girls received their recognition.

It was getting colder and beginning to lightly drizzle. We had time to look for one more marker.   We walked toward Irma Armanet’s gravesite.   The row was clearly marked, and we counted the number of plots in.   We paced back and forth, counting again.  We were confused.  Where was the marker?   At the exact location, there was only an empty patch of grass.  “Julie”, I said, “I think Irma’s buried in an unmarked grave!”  We were shocked and saddened. How can someone be buried without a marker?   Unfortunately, this is not uncommon. “Julie, if it is true, I guarantee our team will be back within a year.  I can assure you that Irma Armanet will be recognized for her service”.

Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, California.

Golden Gate National Cemetery

On Saturday, Julie and I met up with Evelyn at Golden Gate National Cemetery, where four Hello Girls are buried alongside their husbands.  The office was closed.  There was an outdoor kiosk where we could print a map of the burial locations.   It was a sunny, but blustery, windy day, with temperatures hovering at 50 degrees.  Julie gave me her winter parka.  Ironically, back home, in New Hampshire, it was mild and in the high 60s.

I was especially eager to see the headstones of Berthe Hunt and Marie Lange Harris, both of whom served with my grandmother, Grace Banker, in the 1st Army during the St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne campaigns.    Berthe most often handled the operations switchboard, “the fighting lines”, relaying orders between headquarters and the battlefields.

We found Berthe’s marker.  She is buried with her husband, Rube, whose name was in large font, and his rank and service were listed.  Berthe’s name was barely visible at the bottom.   I parted the grass to read the small print: “Berthe M, his wife,” and her dates of birth and death.  I was heartbroken.  There was no indication of her service.  Berthe died in 1978, one year after the G.I. Bill Improvement Act was passed, which recognized the Hello Girls’ WWI service, but one year before the Hello Girls were given their Honorable Discharges in 1979.

Next, we moved on to Marie Lange Harris. My grandmother wrote in her diary that Marie was very ill (likely influenza) for a couple of weeks while in the Advanced Sector, which led to calling in another operator to relieve the workload on the switchboards. Marie received her Honorable Discharge papers and Victory Medal, along with seven other Bay Area Hello Girls, at the historic J’Ecoute Ceremony in 1979. at San Francisco’s Presidio.

I was excited in anticipation to see her headstone with her World War 1 service, or so I thought. We approached the headstone and saw her husband’s name, rank, and service listed on the front of the marker.  On the back, the inscription read:

MARIE  L
HIS WIFE
OCT   28 1894
NOV  18  1990

I was in disbelief!  She was one of about thirty women out of the two hundred eighty Hello Girls who lived to receive her military honors.  Here she was, buried in a National Cemetery.  Why was her service not inscribed on the headstone!?

The headstones for the graves of WWI Hello Girls Berthe Hunt (left) and Marie Lange Harris found in 2025 did not identify their own military service, only that of their respective husbands.

Our third Hello Girl, Marguerite Lovera, I assumed would have no reference to her service, as she died in 1959, 20 years before the Hello Girls were recognized as Veterans.   I was surprised and happy to find I was wrong.  Her headstone appeared to be newer, with full recognition of her service.    I thought to myself, she had a descendant who must have known about the 1979 recognition and took action to update her headstone.

Lastly, we visited Maude Edna Johnson’s marker.   Like Marie, Maude also attended the 1979 J’Ecoute Ceremony to receive her Honorable Discharge and Victory Medal.  She was buried with her own marker, with her WWI service inscribed.   That is exactly what I had hoped for and was relieved to see.

Sunset View and Skylawn Cemeteries

We continued our journey to two other cemeteries.   We visited the markers of sisters Louise and Raymond Lebreton, both buried in Sunset Cemetery, which has a panoramic view of San Francisco Bay.   We finished the day at the marker of Bertha Plamondon Dubsky at Skylawn Cemetery, which overlooks Half Moon Bay.  Hello Girls Louise Lebreton and Bertha Plamondon were in my grandmother’s Unit, which was the first group to deploy to France in March 1918.

All three of the Bay Area women whose graves we had just visited attended the Presidio J’Ecoute ceremony in 1979 and received their Honorable Discharges and Victory Medals. But, none had recognition of their World War I service on their headstones!

After two busy days visiting the cemeteries, I was saddened to think about the Hello Girls’ graves I visited; only two had reference to their WWI service.  For most Hello Girls, their World War I achievements died with them.

Carolyn, Julie, and Evelyn at Skylawn Cemetery in 2025 at the grave marker of Hello Girl Bertha Plamondon Dubsky .

Back Home / Planning a Ceremony

Upon returning home, I contacted Jim Theres, who works for the VA National Cemetery Administration.  (He is the director of the Hello Girls Documentary, and in 2024, Jim coordinated the military honors ceremonies for Edmee Leroux and Juliette Courtial, both of whom had been buried in unmarked graves.)   Jim contacted Holy Cross Cemetery and confirmed that, indeed, Irma was buried in an unmarked grave.  He set into motion a plan to order a VA marker for Irma and to honor her service with a military ceremony

As Irma Armanet’s ceremony approached, our team researched and wrote mini-biographies for the seven other Hello Girls buried at Holy Cross.   In addition, Donna Ayres, a descendant on our research team, focused her efforts on locating and reaching out to descendants in the San Francisco Bay area to let them know of Irma’s ceremony, with the goal of bringing together more descendants to share their stories.

In late fall of 2025, as our planning meetings for Irma’s ceremony got underway, I reached out to the director at Golden Gate Cemetery and provided detailed information about Berthe and Marie’s WWI service to obtain long-overdue recognition.  Within a couple of weeks, I was notified that a headstone change request form had been completed and their headstones would be replaced!

Hello Girls Research and M-HARP

Throughout 2025, our group of researchers continued to identify the histories and stories of the Hello Girls and to note whether each Hello Girl lived to receive her Honorable Discharge and whether she had Veterans recognition on her grave marker.  This work evolved into the creation of The Hello Girls Military Honors and Remembrance Project  (M-HARP), which is now a program of the Doughboy Foundation.  Our mission states:

 “The Hello Girls Military Honors and Remembrance Project is dedicated to honoring and preserving the legacy of the 280 women who served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps Telephone Operators Unit during World War I. Through genealogical research, memorial ceremonies, and descendant outreach, we ensure their service, sacrifice, and pioneering contributions are recognized, remembered, and celebrated for generations to come”.

To date, our highest priority has been to recognize and honor the Hello Girls who were buried in unmarked graves.

Return to Golden Gate National Cemetery in 2026

Five members of our Hello Girls M-HARP team: Jim Theres, Diane Boettcher, Linda Jantzen, Donna Ayres, and I, Carolyn Timbie, made the trip to California.   I contacted Golden Gate Cemetery to check on the status of Berthe and Marie’s headstones.    Not only did the new headstones arrive, but they had been installed in Golden Gate Cemetery a couple of days before our arrival.

We visited Golden Gate Cemetery on Friday, Feb 6, the day before Irma’s ceremony, to pay our respects to the four women interred there.   We were greeted at the cemetery by the director, Jim Columbia, and his assistant.  There were eight of us, including descendants and Veterans.  At each Hello Girl’s headstone, we placed a Signal Corps flag and a white rose.  We shared some stories of each woman’s life and service.

Four U.S. Armed Forces Veterans saluting the WWI Hello Girls, America’s First Women Soldiers, at Golden Gate National Cemetery near San Francisco. Left to Right: Patricia Natividad, Terry Coons, Diane Boettcher, and Linda Jantzen.

I was especially moved, as the four Veterans in our group stood in formation and saluted each of the Hello Girls markers.   I was proud to see the newly installed headstones honoring both Berthe Hunt and Marie Lange for their service to our country.

New headstones for the graves of WWI Hello Girls Berthe Hunt (left) and Marie Lange Harris in 2026 now identify their own military service as well as that of their husbands.

In addition to Marie’s service recognition, her inscription included “Congressional Gold Medal”.   A reporter from Bay Area CBS News Station KPIX accompanied us on our visit, taking photos and videos for the evening news.

Irma Armanet Ceremony

On Saturday, Feb 7, 2026, the sun was shining as our team arrived at Holy Cross Cemetery the morning of Irma Armanet’s ceremony, but clouds and fog soon rolled in.  As descendants ourselves, Donna and I were excited to meet the California descendants in attendance.

The ceremony began with a procession to the grave site led by the University of San Francisco Army ROTC.  The Director of Cemeteries in the Archdiocese of San Francisco, Monica Williams, welcomed the attendees.  Representatives from the US Army Signal Corps, Doughboy Foundation, the National Cemetery Administration, and the Military Honors and Remembrance Project (M-HARP) delivered remarks.   The cast of the Hello Girls Musical production in Ross, California, sang “Making History.”

(Left) Flag presentation, received by Monica Williams, Holy Cross Cemetery. (Right) Rifle Salute by Veteran Service Organization members.

Veteran Service Organizations performed ceremonial flag folding, flag presentation, and a rifle salute.   As a Doughboy Foundation bugler, dressed in a Hello Girl uniform, played taps, the sun broke through the clouds.

(Left) M-HARP members Donna Ayers and Diane Boettcher read aloud the names of the 85 Hello girls with ties to California. (Right) Bugler Grace Kilpatrick from the Doughboy Foundation, wearing an WWI Hello Girls uniform, sounds Taps during ceremony.

The names of the 85 Hello girls with ties to California were read aloud.  I felt immense joy knowing that Irma’s service would be forever remembered.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, nine descendants came together at Irma’s marker to pay our respects.

Descendants of five Hello Girls gathered at the VA Headstone of Irma Armanet after the ceremony. The Hello Girls represented by the descendants were Berthe Plamondon Dubsky, CA; Helen Temime, CA; Grace Banker, NJ; Jeanne Legallet, CA; and Olive Shaw, MA.

Following the ceremony, a trolley transported descendants, M-HARP team members, and friends of the Hello Girls to the grave sites of the seven other Hello Girls interred at Holy Cross.  A Signal Corps flag had been placed at each headstone, and a descendant or honored guest read the mini biography aloud of the Hello Girl interred there.  Two white roses were placed at each gravesite.

Biographies of the Hello Girls buried in Holy Cross Cemetery are read at each grave site.

The grandson and great-grandchildren of Hello Girl Jeanne Legallet were present at the family plot where Jeanne was buried.  Her great-granddaughter, Jeanne’s namesake, read her great-grandmother’s biography aloud.  Out of the eight Hello Girls buried at Holy Cross, Jeanne was the only one who lived to receive her Honorable Discharge in 1980.  Yet there was no reference to her World War I service within the family plot.

Descendants of Jeanne Legallet honoring her at the family plot in Holy Cross Cemetery, Colma, CA, 2026.

It was a memorable and heartfelt day, made even more meaningful by an invitation from the Ross Valley Players to attend the Hello Girls Musical that evening – an inspiring conclusion to a day devoted to remembrance and recognition.

(Left) Hello Girls Descendants Donna Ayres and Rusty Frank at Holy Cross Cemetery. (Center) Doughboy Foundation bugler Grace Kilpatrick, and Doughboy Foundation CEO Clair Sassin; (Right) Hello Girls descendants Carolyn Timbie and Donna Ayres at the Irma Armanet grave marker.

Reflection

When Julie and I discovered Irma’s unmarked grave, I was in disbelief.  Eventually, this transformed into hope and finally into empowerment.  I knew with our Hello Girls Military Honors and Remembrance Project team – Veterans, descendants, researchers, historians and authors – we would right this wrong.

I imagine the many people who walked past Irma’s unmarked grave over the decades, unaware that a WWI Veteran was buried there, her life story and service to her country hidden from history.

Now, Irma’s story has been brought to light. At the ceremony, the Mayor of Daley City proclaimed February 7^, 2026, “Hello Girls Day”.   Colma Mayor Carrie Slaughter honored the Hello Girls and commemorated the dedication of Operator Irma Rameline Armanet’s gravestone, a fitting tribute to one of America’s first women soldiers.

Irma Armanet Biography

Irma Rameline Armanet was born on June 4, 1892 in the village of Oloron Sainte-Marie in the southwest of France.  She sailed to New York in 1912.  On February 7, 1918, 108 years ago to the day of her ceremony, Irma was appointed operator in the US Army Signal Corps Telephone Operators Unit.  She was assigned to the Fourth Group and served with the American Expeditionary Force in France.  She returned to the United States on August 9, 1919 and settled down in the Bay Area.  She became a US citizen in the 1930’s.  She was part-owner of Armanet-Bainbridge and Company in San Francisco, which manufactured silk lamp shades, novelties and art goods.  She died from a stroke on February 23, 1975 in San Francisco at the age of 82.   Research for Irma’s bio was completed by Linda Jantzen, a member of the Hello Girls research group and M-HARP team.

Some Facts About The Hello Girls

Out of the 280 Hello Girls who served in World War I:

• Approximately 30 women were alive in 1979 to receive their Honorable Discharges.
• Of the 30 honored in life, many have no recognition of their service on their grave markers.
• The majority of the 280 Hello Girls went to their graves with no recognition for their service in World War I

Facts About The San Francisco Bay Area Hello Girls

• Of the 8 Hello Girls buried at Holy Cross Cemetery, just one—Jeanne Catherine Legallet—lived to receive her Honorable Discharge. None of the 8 had recognition on their grave sites. until February 7, 2026, when Irma became the first at Holy Cross to receive her recognition (including the inscription “Congressional Gold Medal” on her VA marker).
• Of the four cemeteries I visited in the Bay Area in 2025, a total of 6 of the 15 Hello Girls lived to receive their Honorable Discharges in 1979.
• In 2025, of the 6 who lived to receive their Honorable Discharges, only 1 had her WWI service inscribed on her headstone.
• In Feb 2026, of the 6 who lived to receive their Honorable Discharges, with the recent installation of Marie Lange Harris’ VA headstone, 2 now have their WWl service inscribed on their headstones
• In 2025, of the 15 Hello Girls buried in the four cemeteries, a total of 2 had their WWI service inscribed on their headstones
• In Feb 2026, of the 15 Hello Girls buried in the four cemeteries, a total of 5 have their service inscribed on their headstones
• Golden Gate Cemetery:
  • In 2025, 2 of the 4 Hello Girls interred there had their WWI service inscribed on their headstones
  • In Feb 2026, all 4 of the Hello Girls interred there have their WWI service inscribed on their headstones!

Carolyn Timbie is the Proud Granddaughter of Grace Banker, Chief Operator of the 1^st Group of US Army Signal Corps Tel. Operators Unit, and recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal.

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