Fred Canfield Emerson, Jr. died at the age of 88 on March 9, 2009 at Mt. San Antonio Gardens.

“He was remarkable,” said his wife of 65 years, Laura Emerson. “He had a wonderful sense of humor, he was courageous, he was always kind and saw the right side of everyone.”

Dr. Emerson was born on October 12, 1920 in Oak Park, Illinois, the son of Fred C. Emerson and Dottelle Van Liew Emerson. After graduating from the Northern Illinois College of Optometry in the early 40s, he joined the US Navy and attended officer training school in New York and Florida. Upon becoming a lieutenant deck officer, he received orders to report to Long Beach. He then became skipper of a crash boat in the South Pacific.

Crash boats completed specialized military-medical operations involving downed aircraft and picking up wounded, dying and dead soldiers following sea battles. According to Dr. Emerson, his family shared, there were only about 4 crash boats within a 100-mile radius during World War II. In his capacity, Dr. Emerson served in the New Hebrides, Guadalcanal, New Guinea, Admiralty Islands, the Philippines and the Invasion of Lingayen Gulf. The crash boat he commanded was dubbed “The Devil’s Daughter” by his crewmen.

During a party held at the Pacific Coast club in Long Beach on December 5, 1943, he met Laura Nancy Bassett who was to become his wife 23 days later.

“We just knew it was right,” Ms. Emerson said. “We didn’t have anything we needed to fight about. We had the same background, the same religion, the same politics, and it was war. You never knew if you would see your husband again.”

On the Thursday following their Tuesday, December 28 wedding, Dr. Emerson returned to the South Pacific where he served for 17 months.

Dr. Emerson’s wife noted that a military associate of her husband’s commented that she was a very lucky woman, for Dr. Emerson was “everything a man should be.”

“And he certainly was,” she said.

After mustering out of the navy, Dr. Emerson remained in the Naval Reserves and attained the rank of commander. 

Following WWII, Dr. Emerson entered the field of optometry, first in Long Beach and then in Claremont where he opened his own practice. For 48 years he worked in this practice, retiring in 2000. According to family, he was beloved by his patients, for whom he cared very much and always made special efforts to make house calls in order to take care of them.

“He loved all of his patients,” Ms. Emerson commented. “He was an extraordinary man.”

Dr. Emerson also loved animals, especially dogs and horses, and he competed in horse shows while riding a Tennessee Walking Horse named “Secret’s Applejack.” Not surprisingly, the former crash boat skipper loved boats and enjoyed many outings on Flathead Lake in Montana where he maintained his own speedboat.

Groups that Dr. Emerson belonged to included the Mt. Baldy Chapter of the Military Officers of America, the Kiwanis Club of Claremont, the American Legion, the Inland Empire Optometric Society, St. Ambrose Episcopal Church and Ability First (formerly the Crippled Children’s Society).

Dr. Emerson is survived by his wife, Laura Nancy Emerson of Pomona; his daughter, Sarah Crowley Baxter of Lewistown, Montana; his sister-in-law, Jean B. Kegler of Pomona; his niece, Jean-Ellen Kegler of Williams, Arizona; and by his nephew, Dan Kegler of San Pedro.  He was preceded in death by his son, Fred C. Emerson III, in 1970.

A celebration of Dr. Emerson’s life will take place at 4 p.m. on Friday, April 3, 2009 at St. Ambrose Episcopal Church, 830 W. Bonita Ave., Claremont.

Memorial donations may be made to a charity of choice.