Robina Asti was a World War II veteran who later became an inspiration to the transgender community as she fought for her husband’s Social Security benefits.
- Died: March 12, 2021 (Who else died on March 12?)
- Details of death: Died in San Diego at the age of 99.
- We invite you to share condolences for Robina Asti in our Guest Book.
Fighting for justice
Asti served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, installing radios in aircraft in the Pacific Theater. After the war, she operated a supper club with friends and later worked for mutual fund company E.W. Axe. In was in the 1970s that Asti began her transition, and she later married Norwood Patton. After his death in 2012, she filed to receive his Social Security benefits. She was denied her claim because, according to her birth certificate, she was legally a man at the time of her marriage. Asti enlisted the help of Lambda Legal and fought to receive the benefits. She not only won, receiving two years of back checks; the Social Security Administration and IRS changed their guidelines so the situation can’t happen again. A lifelong pilot, Asti continued to fly and work as a flight instructor into 2020, and she was in the process of being certified by Guinness World Records as the world’s oldest flight instructor. Asti founded the Cloud Dancers Foundation, which “focuses on granting wishes to people, particularly seniors, who experience discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity.”
Notable quote
“What do I like about flying? I guess it’s being a bird.” —from the 2018 documentary “Flying Solo”
Tributes to Robina Asti
Full obituary: The New York Times
