'A real patriot': Robert 'Bob' Batterson laid to rest Wednesday
Robert "Bob" Batterson, a retired United States Navy Captain, was laid to rest at the Coastal Bend State Veteran's Cemetery Wednesday.
Batterson, who was born in West Virginia, died Friday, Aug. 11. He was 102 and the last known Pearl Harbor survivor in the Coastal Bend area.
At his funeral mass at St. Pius X Catholic Church, Msgr. Mark Chamberlin spent a few minutes talking about Batterson and how he touched people's lives at the church and at the USS Lexington Museum on the Bay. He was a volunteer there for more than 30 years.
"Bob was a real patriot," Chamberlin said. "He would explain to young people what Pearl Harbor meant. He explained to young people what the country meant. He explained to young people what it meant to be an American. He was proud of his service. He was proud of his country."
At the cemetery in Annaville, more people were in attendance for Batterson's procession. Dominic Garofolo, a volunteer at the USS Lexington, said he will miss his friend.
"He was a great guy," Garofolo said. "I'm going to miss his stories. He had great ones he would tell all the time about Pearl Harbor. He'll be remembered for a long time by so many."
Batterson enlisted in the Navy in 1939 and was assigned ashore at the Naval Station Pearl Harbor when the attack happened Dec. 7, 1941. He later earned his wings as a Naval Aviator at the Naval Air Station Corpus Christi in 1944 and finished out the war as a F6F Hellcat fighter pilot.
He retired from the Navy in 1974 after 35 years of service.
Batterson's granddaughter, Lisa Martin, consoled her grandmother Hilda Batterson much throughout the entire ceremony. She said it meant a lot to her to see the community in attendance Wednesday.
"Bob was always known as a community man," Martin said. "It's not surprising to see this turnout. He instilled people to get involved and stay alert for your community. He meant a lot to so many."
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John Oliva covers entertainment and community news in South Texas. Contact him at john.oliva@caller.com or Twitter @johnpoliva.
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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Robert 'Bob' Batterson, Pearl Harbor survivor, laid to rest
