S1c Delbert Ray Fisher

Born and raised in Laramie, Wyoming, Delbert Ray Fisher’s secret ambition was “to live in a warm climate in winter,” his high school yearbook said.

Mr. Fisher got his wish. He enlisted in the Navy on Aug. 2, 1940, and soon was assigned to the U.S.S. Arizona. The battleship’s home port was San Pedro, California, but it was mostly moored at Pearl Harbor during his time aboard.

He was a seaman first class when he was killed in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941.

Mr. Fisher was born Nov. 3, 1920. His mother, Bessie Tull Fisher, was a homemaker and his father, Floyd Fisher, an engineer for a steam railroad. The son, nicknamed Delly at Laramie High, graduated in 1939. The spring 1940 Census identified him as seeking work.

Sources: The Greenfield (Missouri) Vidette; Census; Navy muster roll; Wyoming military service record; Laramie High yearbook photograph. This profile was researched and written on behalf of the U.S.S. Arizona Mall Memorial at the University of Arizona.