AP’s HONOLULU A 100-year-old survivor of the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, Bob Fernandez passed away soon after his declining health forced him to forego a trip to Hawaii to attend the commemorative service last week, which marked the 83rd anniversary of the attack.
On Wednesday, Fernandez passed away quietly at his nephew Joe Guthrie’s house in Lodi, California. Halie Torrrell, Guthrie’s daughter, was holding his hand when he passed away. About a month ago, Fernandez had a stroke that made him slow down, but Guthrie said that physicians thought it was just aging.
Guthrie stated it was his time.
When the United States entered World War II on December 7, 1941, Fernandez was a 17-year-old sailor aboard the USS Curtiss. When they heard an alert, the mess cook was serving breakfast to the sailors and waiting tables. Fernandez noticed a jet passing through a porthole that had the red ball emblem that is often painted on Japanese planes.
In order to feed shells to the ship’s cannons, he and other sailors hurried down three decks to a magazine chamber where they waited for someone to open a door. Over the years, he has told interviewers that when he heard gunshots overhead, several of his fellow sailors were crying and praying.
Weeks before he passed away, Fernandez told The Associated Press, “I was a little scared because I didn’t know what the hell was going on.”
Fernandez’s ship, the Curtiss, suffered injuries to about 60 of its crew and lost 21 men. The bombing claimed the lives of over 2,300 American soldiers. The USS Arizona, which sank during the engagement, contained 1,177 sailors and Marines, or about half.
You know, we lost a lot of wonderful folks. According to Fernandez, they didn’t accomplish nothing. However, we can never predict what will occur during a conflict.
According to Guthrie, Fernandez was going to go back to Pearl Harbor last week to attend an annual remembrance organized by the Navy and the National Park Service, but he grew too frail to go.
According to Guthrie, he was quite proud of his six years in the Navy, which he spent entirely on board the USS Curtiss. The majority of his informal attire, such as shirts and hats, was associated with his duty.
His nephew claimed that it was simply engrained in him.
After the war, Fernandez drove a forklift at a cannery in San Leandro, California. Mary Fernandez, his 65-year-married wife, passed away in 2014.
Up until recently, he went to weekly music events at a nearby park and restaurant because he loved dancing and music. Prior to moving in with Guthrie last year, he assisted neighbors in his trailer park with yard maintenance.
According to Guthrie, he would swing the axe a little as I worked in the yard and split firewood. His physical therapy is what we would call it.
One of Fernandez’s tips for having a long life was to march up stairs and quit eating when you’re full. Napping was acceptable, he said, but before bed, do something like wash the dishes or do some washing. He advised treating everyone with kindness.
Guthrie stated that he believes Fernandez would prefer to be known for making people happy.
If folks couldn’t do it, he would rake their yards. A fence would be painted by him. Guthrie promised to help someone. If someone needed money, he would give it to them. He was a really kind and giving person. Everywhere he went, he made friends.
Robert J. Fernandez, Fernandez’s eldest son, a granddaughter, and multiple great-grandchildren survive him.
Kathleen Farley, the state chair of the Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors in California, keeps track of the 16 known survivors of Pearl Harbor who are still living. They’re all at least a century old.
The number would have been 15 after Fernandez’s passing, but Farley recently found out about another survivor.
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