Ira 'Ike' Schab, one of last remaining Pearl Harbor survivors, dies at 105

Key Highlights

• Schab was a sailor of just 21 at the time of the attack, and for decades he rarely spoke about the experience.
• But in recent years, aware that the corps of survivors was dwindling, the centenarian made a point of traveling from his home in Beaverton, Oregon, to the annual observance at the Hawaii military base.“To pay honor to the guys that didn’t make it,” he said in 2023. For last year's commemoration, Schab spent weeks building up the strength to be able to stand and salute.
• But this year he did not feel well enough to attend, and less than three weeks later, he passed away.
• Born on Independence Day in 1920 in Chicago, Schab was the eldest of three brothers.
• He joined the Navy at 18, following in the footsteps of his father, he said in a February interview for Pacific Historic Parks.