Individual Details

Dec. 22 was a time for memories for Fernley resident Everette Martin Furr. Furr, a native of McKinney, Texas, voluntarily enlisted in the U.S. Navy in September 1941. He completed basic training at North Island, Calif., and was sent to Shipboard Radio School in Los Angeles. While he was training there, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Furr was selected for advanced radio school (aircraft) and sent to Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. From there, he boarded the USS Horton with the 2nd Marine Raiders, who won fame for defeating the Japanese Army at Guadalcanal. Furr was assigned duty on PBYs. “P.B.Y.” was nomenclature determined in accordance with the U.S. Navy aircraft designation system of 1922. “PB” stood for “Patrol Bomber” and “Y” the code used for the aircraft's manufacturer, Consolidated Aircraft. PBYs were the American flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s. It was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft used in World War II. (It was used in anti-submarine warfare, patrol bombing, convoy escorts and search and rescue missions.) Furr would go on patrols (generally 7 or 8 hours, but up to 13 hours) searching for enemy submarines and enemy shipping from the air. Since PBYs could take off and land on water, they would hide at night in lagoons on various atolls. Veteran Furr was bombed and strafed many times and even took machine gun fire from a Japanese submarine. Furr saw duty all over the Pacific Theatre including Eniwetok, Saipan, Fiji Island, Guam, and Kwajalein before returning to the U.S. in December 1945, after four years in combat duty. He was discharged in May 1945 as a 2nd class aviation radioman. Furr was the recipient of a surprise presentation of the Navy Good Conduct Medal, the WWII Victory Medal, the Pacific Campaign Medal and Flag and certificate. Attending the home presentation were Lt. Col. Bill and Tammy Johnson, retired Master Chief Hospital Corpsman Vic and Karon Martin, retired Master Sgt. Bob and Debbie Aslett, retired Master at Arms 1st Class Matt and Evette Schmelzer and A.I. and Dory Justice.
Nevada Appeal, Carson City, NV, March 20, 2011

World War II veteran and Dayton resident Everette Furr turns 100 Sunday, the celebration might be quiet but time-honored with fond memories of his military and personal achievements. Bryan Berry, a Carson City resident, 80, considers himself a brother-in-law to Furr. "He's a good guy," Berry said, stating he's known him since at least the early 1970s when he worked as a foreman in Southern California. He said Furr has shared a number of stories with him over the years about his experiences in the Navy and his two tours of duty, especially about the day Pearl Harbor was attacked. "He was born and raised in Texas, and on June 23, 1941, he joined the Navy," Berry said. "I believe he volunteered. He went to school in Southern California." Furr would be assigned to serve on a squadron of PBY sea planes at Kaneohe, a Navy sea plane base, at Oahu in Hawaii. Furr would share with Berry he could still recall after the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, when "the sunken ships were still smoking from the bombing. One of Furr's rescue situations included Brig. Gen. Nathan Farragut Twining in 1943 in the New Hebrides Islands approximately 600 miles away from Espiritu Santo. With Furr as the radio operator, the 13th Air Force commander with 14 of his staff were forced to abandon their plane. On Sept. 11, 1945, Furr separated from service. He worked several jobs and retired in 1981. He and his wife Jeanette had three children and were married until she died in 2002. Berry said he loves him like family. "Even pushing 100, he's still pretty sharp," Berry said. "He really has to spend most of his time in bed because he isn't able to walk around, but he's still a really good guy and I love him like a brother."
Nevada Appeal, Carson City, NV, February 22, 2019

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Birth	24 Feb 1919	McKinney, Collin County, TX
Marriage	8 Oct 1943	Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, CA - Jeanette NORRIS
Occupation	1950	instrument manufacturing foreman - Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, CA
Death	14 Jan 2020	Dayton, Lyon County, NV
Burial		Northern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Fernley, Lyon County, NV

Spouse	Jeanette NORRIS (1919 - 2003)
Child	Marvin Dean FURR (1957 - 1960)
Child	Living
Child	Living

Father	Croney Fletcher "Shorty" FURR (1897 - 1954)
Mother	Lola Mae HOWARD (1899 - 1970)
Sibling	Kenneth Truett FURR (1926 - 2005)
Sibling	Living
Sibling	Charles Howard FURR (1930 - 2009)
Sibling	Dana Janell FURR (1934 - 2022)
Sibling	Living

Notes