(KXXV/RNN) - America’s oldest living World War II veteran, Richard Overton, died on Thursday.
According to Fox 7, Overton’s family said he was admitted to the hospital last week with pneumonia. They said he died at a rehab facility in Austin.
Overton served in the army for three years during World War II. He spent the majority of his life living in Austin since 1945.
He was 112 years old.
His funeral has been set for Jan. 12 at the Shoreline Church north of Austin, KXAN reported. The service will begin at 11 a.m. and will be open to the public.
Overton will be buried at the Texas State Cemetery on 909 Navasota St.
Overton volunteered for the Army in his 30s and was at Pearl Harbor just after the Japanese bombed it, according to the Associated Press.
He served with the 188th Aviation Engineer Battalion, an all-black unit which served in the Pacific.
Former President Barack Obama honored Overton at a 2013 Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. Obama said of Overton: “He was there at Pearl Harbor when the battleships were still smoldering. He was there at Okinawa. He was there at Iwo Jima, where he said. ‘I only got out of there by the grace of God.’”
Overton once credited his long life to two of his favorite vices: smoking cigars and drinking whiskey.
Congressman Roger Williams released a statement on the death of Overton:
“I join the Austin community and the entire country in mourning the loss of a great man, and our nation’s oldest veteran, Mr. Richard Overton. Throughout my time in Congress, I have had the honor of getting to know Mr. Overton very well - sitting on his porch and listening to him tell stories are memories I will never forget. I am thankful for his service to our country, and I am eternally grateful to have had him in my life as a friend and role model. I will miss him dearly and will continue to pray for his family during this difficult time.”
In 2017, a street in Austin was dedicated to Overton. The day after his 111th birthday, the city of Austin celebrated by renaming Hamilton Avenue, where he lived for over 70 years, to Richard Overton Avenue.
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