The Last Lewis County Man Who Witnessed Attack on Pearl Harbor Has Died

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He was a beloved husband, father and man of God who witnessed what President Franklin Roosevelt termed “a day that will live in infamy.”

William Furrer, of Centralia, the last known survivor of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in the area, died Sept. 22. He was 95.  

From where Chief Petty Officer William Furrer stood on the roof of his barracks on Dec. 7, 1941, he said he could look directly into the cockpit of an attacking plane and see the face of a Japanese pilot.

It was a Sunday, and he was doing some early morning laundry on the roof of his barracks located on Ford Island, in the middle of the harbor. 

Battleship Row, the primary target of the Japanese attack, was located off the east side of the island. 

His squadron did not have any casualties, his daughter Margie Lantz said. He spent the rest of the day assisting with cleanup and rescue efforts. In the days following the attack, he and his squad were sent on patrol for Japanese planes on the island. Lantz said they were given Springfield bolt-action rifles to shoot at the aircraft if they found any, but they did not. 

His story of the war was captured by local historian and columnist Julie McDonald in an article printed in The Chronicle on Dec. 6, 2008.  Furrer was an aviation mechanic, according to McDonald. Throughout the war, he had several posts in the Pacific.

Although he never told his daughters about the horrors he saw, Furrer did talk about some of the lighter moments, Lantz told The Chronicle. 

While stationed on Funafuti, a tiny atoll about 3,000 miles east of Australia, the Japanese conducted an air raid right after the garrison had received a new supply shipment. 

The fresh shipment of potatoes the explosions hit was scattered throughout the airfield, Lantz said. 

When his tour ended, Furrer returned to Centralia to marry Elaine Scott on July 4, 1944. The couple then moved to Jacksonville, Florida, for his next assignment. 

“Bill and Elaine were the cutest couple in the world,” Veterans Memorial Museum Director Chip Duncan said. 

Furrer retired from the Navy in 1961 after serving in both World War II and the Korean War.



Together he and his wife had two daughters, five grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild. They were married for 72 years.

“When we lost mom in January, we knew dad wouldn't be far behind,” Lantz said. 

Growing up, his daughters knew he was in charge, Lantz said. He was a chief petty officer and he had a commanding presence about him. 

“But he was always a good father,” she said. “We never doubted we were loved.” 

When they were young, the family was stationed in Pearl Harbor, Lantz said. On some evenings, Furrer would take his daughters on a walk to McGrew Point on the northeast side of the harbor.

“We would watch them lower the flag over the U.S.S. Arizona,” she said. 

That was before the memorial was dedicated in 1962. Furrer traveled to Pearl Harbor on several occasions and marched in the parade during the 50th anniversary commemoration in 2001.  

“The community should know he was a dedicated father and husband who loved his nation, his church and the Navy,” Lantz said. 

Furrer donated his Navy uniform to the Veterans Memorial Museum where it is on display as part of the Pearl Harbor exhibit. 

Duncan said it will always be there. 

Furrer had a way of telling stories, Duncan said. When he spoke at a Pearl Harbor survivors dinner at the museum a couple of years ago, Furrer said after he saw the red dot on the tail of a plane and heard the explosions, he went and ducked under his bunk. Then, he realized that wasn’t the bravest thing to do, so he got up and ran to help. 

Other Pearl Harbor survivors from the area were George A. "Cy" Simmons, of Adna, who died in 2009; Vern Jacobson, of Winlock, who died in 2010; and Howard Gage, of Centralia, who died in 2016. 

Furrer died on Sept. 22 at his home in Centralia. A memorial service will be held on Sunday, Sept. 30, at 11 a.m. at Mountain View Baptist Church in Centralia. A graveside service will be held at Willamette National Cemetery in Happy Valley, Oregon, on Oct. 2 at 9 a.m.