On the morning of April 28, Otis Pierce passed away at his home in Albany. His wife, Shirley, daughter Jan and his hospice nurse were at his bedside. Otis was 88 years old.
He was born in Cedar Bluffs, Kansas, to Wayne and Iva Hazel Pierce. Otis proudly served as a quartermaster on the USS Morris in the South Pacific during World War II (1943-46). He settled in Oregon after his discharge from the Navy and married Shirley Meier on July 4, 1949. He retired from Southwest Forest Industries in 1990.
During the war, on April 6, 1945, Otis was on the USS Morris when it was hit by a Kamikaze near Okinawa, Japan. Twenty-four sailors were killed and 44 were wounded. It was only by the over-all spirit and work of every man aboard that the Morris was saved. The ship was badly damaged and it was slow going with the risk of the bow breaking off, but after seven hours, the Morris made it to a port for temporary repairs and eventually made it back to California. Later in life, Otis enjoyed attending reunions with his shipmates from the Morris. In 2012 he was privileged to be a part of an honor flight. Along with about 25 other World War II veterans, he flew to Washington, D.C., and toured not only the World War II Memorial but most of the other major service, war and presidential memorials. It was a highlight of his later years.
He was an avid bowler and was a past president of both the Albany Bowling Association and the Oregon State Bowling Association. He was a member of the Oregon State Bowling Hall of Fame.
Otis was preceded in death by his parents; brother Kenneth Pierce and wife Marilyn of Fort Wayne, Indiana; and sister Lora Fabrizio and husband Jim of Littleton, Colorado.
He is survived by Shirley and their three daughters, Denise Pierce of Portland, Janice Duringer of Huson, Montana, and Carol Pierce, M.D., of Leavenworth, Washington; daughter-in-law Kaye Crandall of Leavenworth, Washington; and brother Verle Pierce of Portland.
Special thanks to the staff of Villas of Albany and Good Samaritan Hospice.
There will be a celebration of life at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 3, at AAsum-Dufour Funeral Home in Albany. His ashes will be interred at the Willamette National Cemetery in Portland at a date to be determined.
The family requests that donations be sent to Honor Flight of Oregon ( www.honorflightoforegon.org ) in lieu of flowers.