Pearl Harbor Survivor Stu Hedley Dies at Age 99
Told the story of WWII attack to thousands over the years
(6 Aug. 2021) Stu Hedley, who survived the sinking of the USS West Virginia (BB-48) during the 7 December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, died 4 August 2021 at age 99. He was a victim of COVID 19.
Over the years, Hedley estimated he told the story of the “Day of Infamy” to more than 200,000 people—many of them school children. In May, he estimated that fewer than 100 Pearl Harbor survivors were still alive.
The death toll from the Japanese Imperial Navy attack on the Pacific island naval base and other military facilities reached 2,403. Navy personnel accounted for 2,008 deaths; 109 Marines were killed; 218 Army personnel died, and 68 civilians were killed. A total of 1,143 were wounded in the attack.
Following Pearl Harbor, Hedley served as an electrician on the cruiser USS San Francisco (CA-38), and the destroyer USS Massey (DD-778). He retired from the Navy in 1960 as a chief petty officer.
A public memorial is scheduled for 25 August at 9 a.m. on the U.S.S. Midway. A private burial service will be held at Miramar National Cemetery where he will be laid to rest next to his wife Wanda, to whom he was married for 64 years.
Read Stu Hedley’s obituary on San Diego Union Tribune Website