The Brief
- Tampa resident Rita Fordham survived the devastation of World War II in Germany before rebuilding her life in America.
- The 95-year-old survived wartime air raids and military strafing runs on her bicycle while growing up in Europe.
- She chooses to live with a positive mindset today, encouraging others to find happiness despite past trauma.
TAMPA, Fla. – More than 80 years after the fighting ceased in Europe, the world is rapidly approaching a milestone in human history where there will be no living memory of World War II.
For 95-year-old Tampa resident Rita Fordham, however, those years remain vivid — marked by terror, survival, and the ultimate triumph of starting over.
World War II survivor in Tampa
What we know:
Born in Stuttgart, Germany, Fordham grew up under the constant threat of air raids as Allied bombers targeted the city’s industrial hubs. When she was just 12 years old, her parents made an agonizing decision to protect her and her brother: They sent them away to a remote farm in southern Germany.…