Willis G. Partridge

Obituary Washington Native and Pearl Harbor Survivor Joins His Shipmates on 67th Anniversary After a lengthy illness, CDR Willis G. Partridge, USCG (Ret.) died peacefully in his sleep on Pearl Harbor Day. A Washington native born in South Bend, Washington, he was raised in the coastal town of Garibaldi, Oregon. He was just 17 years old when he enlisted in the Coast Guard in 1940 as a seaman recruit. Partridge remained in the Coast Guard until 1963 when he retired in Seattle as a Commander and Chief of the Readiness Section for the 13th Coast Guard District. On December 7, 1941 Partridge served aboard the USCG Cutter Taney as a signalman, first class. In addition to the attack of December 7, the Taney also saw combat action in the Pacific including Midway and Okinawa. In the second half of the war, he was sent to Officer Candidate School at the Coast Guard Academy and then assigned to duty in Galveston, Texas in 1943 where he met and married his wife, Olivette Lowe. Later, Partridge served in the North Atlantic. After the war he served as commanding officer of a Loran station in Subic Bay, the Philippines. In the 1950s he had a series of both shore and sea duties. One of his proudest achievements was serving as Commanding Officer of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Nemesis, a search and rescue ship stationed out of St. Petersburg, Florida. From Florida he was assigned to his final duty station in Seattle. After his retirement from the Coast Guard, Partridge was employed by Peoples National Bank as a loan officer. During his retirement, he was active in civic, military and political organizations and was a frequent speaker at many of them. He was married to the former Olivette Lowe of Galveston, Texas. They have seven (7) children: James Stanley Partridge (Janet), USN retired and full time RVer; Olivia Lowe Partridge, attorney, Boise; Richard Wayne Partridge (Joan), "Captain Rocky Bottom," Kirkland; Michael Paul Partridge (Margo), retired state planner, Olympia; Eugene Wallace Partridge (Betty Lou), physician assistant, Kent; Mary Anne (Richard) Cadd, hospital staff member, Boise; Carol Anne (Scott) Sherrow, paralegal, Boise. In addition to his children, he is survived by 17 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren and an older brother, Father Bede (Peter) Partridge, OSB, of Mt. Angel, Oregon. Shortly after the attack at Pearl Harbor, his ship, the Taney, needed some parts, including an antenna and various hooks and other connections. A superior officer told Partridge he needed to find and put them on the Taney and be ready to leave port at 0600 the next morning. When Partridge asked where he could find them, he was abruptly told not to ask silly questions: "Just get it done." "Aye, aye, sir!" was his response. Partridge then took another young sailor over to the wreckage of the Arizona that was still smoldering in the harbor with parts still sticking up out of the water. He took what he needed from the sunken Arizona and placed the parts on the Taney. For the rest of his life Partridge was proud that he helped the Arizona keep fighting vicariously through the Taney even after it was sunk.