From the April 24, 2023, ABC News.
Howard Kenton Potts died Friday, April 21 at his home in Provo, Utah, that he shared with his wife of 66 years, Doris. The announcement was given by Randy Stratton, whose late father, Donald Stratton, was Potts' USS Arizona shipmate and close froend.
According to Stratton, Mr. Potts "had all his marbles" but lately was having a hard time
Potts was born and raised in Honey Bend, Illinois, near Litchfield and Route 66. He had enlisted in the Navy in 1939
He was working as a crane operator shuttling supplies to the Arizona that morning of attack. He said that a loudspeaker ordered sailors back to their ships, so he got on a boat.
"When I got back to Pearl Harbor, the whole harbor was afire. The oil had leaked out and caught on fire and was burning," according to him.
Sailors were tossed or jumped into the oily muck below and Potts and the others pulled them to safety.
The only remaining survivor now of the USS Arizona is Lou Conter, 101, living in California.
--GreGen
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