Robert Louie Fernandez, one of the last known American survivors of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, died this week, just days after the 83rd anniversary of the attack. He was 100.
Mr. Fernandez, known as Uncle Bob to friends, family and even some strangers, died on Wednesday in Lodi, Calif., at the home of his nephew, Joe Guthrie. He was holding hands with his great-niece, Mr. Guthrie’s daughter, when he died, Mr. Guthrie said. The cause was complications of dementia and old age.
“I promised him 10 years ago that he could die in my home, and that’s what he did,” said Mr. Guthrie, who became his uncle’s caretaker in 2022, after his dementia diagnosis. “He died loved and happy.”
Born in San Jose, Calif., in 1924, Mr. Fernandez enlisted in the U.S. Navy in August 1941, when he was 17 years old. He was stationed aboard the U.S.S. Curtiss at the Pearl Harbor naval base on the island of Oahu in Hawaii, where he served as a mess cook and ammunition loader, according to military records.
In a video biography filmed in 2016, Mr. Fernandez said he had joined the Navy to see the world.
“I just thought I was going to go dancing all the time, have a good time,” he said, adding: “What did I do? I got caught in a war.”
Mr. Fernandez had planned a trip to Hawaii for an event last Saturday commemorating the 83rd anniversary of the bombing, but his health started to deteriorate a few weeks ago, according to his family.
When Japanese forces launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and adjoining military airfields in December 1941, Mr. Fernandez and his ship had just returned from a voyage in the Pacific. The early morning attack killed more than 2,400 American service members, prompting the United States to formally enter World War II the next day.
In his recollection of the day, Mr. Fernandez said in the video that he had awakened that morning feeling excited to go dancing at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel with his friends later that night.
“I never did get to go there,” Mr. Fernandez said. Instead, while serving on the mess deck — where sailors and Marines eat and cook — Mr. Fernandez and other troops began hearing bangs and gunshots. He recalled manning his battle station a few decks below with other sailors, passing ammunition to top-deck sailors who were firing whatever weapon they could get their hands on.
On how he survived the bombing, Mr. Fernandez said, “You just do what you’re told to do and do the best you can.”
After leaving the Navy in 1947, Mr. Fernandez moved back to California and worked as a forklift driver at a cannery in San Leandro. He was a light-footed boxer and loved to swing dance with his wife, Mary, with whom he had two sons and one stepdaughter. The couple were married for 65 years, before his wife died in 2014.
Mr. Fernandez continued to be active within the veteran community, and he was known to help people with yardwork, tell corny jokes, and frequent music and dance halls. He knew how to light up a room and a dance floor, Mr. Guthrie said.
Mr. Fernandez’s survivors include his oldest son, Bobby Jr., numerous nieces and nephews, a granddaughter, and several great-grandchildren.
The number of survivors of the Pearl Harbor attack has been rapidly declining in recent years — the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association disbanded in 2011, citing low membership numbers. Following Mr. Fernandez’s death, an estimated 16 surviving service members remain, according to the organization Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors.
Ted Guthrie, Joe Guthrie’s brother, said he would miss his uncle’s humor and the wealth of knowledge he had to share, even in his final years.
“My hope is that they don’t forget him, that they don’t forget these men and women who died at Pearl Harbor,” Ted Guthrie said. “I would love Americans to love America like my Uncle Bob did.”
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