By Deborah Larsen
Richard Donald “Dick” Fetterly
Richard Donald “Dick” Fetterly was born in Royal Oak, Michigan, on October 23, 1917, the son of Lawrence and Mary Duggan Fetterly. The Fetterly family lived on the Avon Township/Troy Township border, and Dick attended Rochester High School, where he participated in boxing.
Dick entered the U.S. Navy in May 1938, and was stationed aboard the light cruiser USS Phoenix. The Phoenix lay at anchor in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941. Although his ship miraculously escaped damage from the Japanese air attack, Dick was standing only 200 yards from the one of the battleships that was blown up. After departing Pearl Harbor, the Phoenix participated in several Allied actions in the South Pacific, including the Battle of Leyte Gulf. She was also credited with assisting in the sinking of the Japanese battleship Yamashiro in late 1944. Dick was discharged from military service in October 1945.
After the war, Dick married, started a family, and worked at National Twist Drill & Tool Company in Avon Township, retiring after 33 years of service.
Richard Donald Fetterly died at age 78 on February 20, 1996, and was laid to rest in Yale, Michigan.