William P. Tanner Jr.

* Captain William P. Tanner, Jr. 1916 to 2004 Captain William P. Tanner, Jr. was born in Chicago, Illinois, October 31, 1916 to William P. Tanner and Theresa Vernon. He died in Long Beach, CA January 4, 2004. Capt. Tanner grew up in San Pedro, CA and, after graduating from San Pedro High School, entered the University of Southern California where he graduated with a B.S. and a B.A. degree in 1938. At U.S.C. he was a 3 year Varsity letterman in baseball, a member of the Trojan Knights, Phi Kappa Tau social fraternity, and the Blue Key and Sigma Sigma Honorary fraternities. In 1939 he entered the Naval Aviation Cadet program. In May 1940 he earned his Naval Aviator wings and a commission as Ensign in the U.S. Navy. Captain Tanner served in various assignments during his naval career and retired in 1965 as Commanding Officer, Naval Air Station, Los Alamitos, CA. Among his medals and citations are two Distinguished Flying Crosses and a Purple Heart. The first D.F.C. was earned on December 7, 1941, for actions with the destroyer, U.S.S. Ward in sinking a Japanese mi dget submarine one hour before the attack on Pearl Harbor. This has been documented in numerous books and on "War Stories" with Oliver North on television. After serving in the Navy for 26 years, he worked for Northrup Corp. for 18 years in management. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Anita Tanner. He is survived by his wife, Maude Luetta Tanner; sons, William Tanner, III and Stephen Tanner; daughter, Linda Ramshaw; brother, Bick (Katie) Tanner; and five grandchildren. Services are private. In li eu of flowers, family suggests contributions to your favorite charity. Stricklin/Snively Mortuary (562) 426-3365