Deaths of World War II veterans are sadly noted. Those brave men and women who served our country in the 1940s today are in their mid-80s and early 90s.
To learn of the death of Joseph “Eddie” McCann Jr., at age 80, one might not think he could have served in World War II.
But he did.
Heroically.
McCann wormed his way into the U.S. Navy when he was 13 years old. He was the youngest coxswain in World War II, said his wife, Helen, and landed with the first wave on D-Day at age 15.
His life will soon be a book.
It should be a movie.
“Dad was a warrior,” said his son, Joseph McCann III. “A family man descended from a clan of others like him, who loved the sea with a passion.”
His father recounted war stories in documentaries, books and newspapers, including stories in The Herald.
He died March 11 after several years of illness.
Born Sept. 21, 1928, in Oakland, Calif., McCann grew up in Everett and attended Garfield Elementary School, Our Lady of Perpetual Help and North Junior High School. Raised with four sisters by a single mother, he worked on fishing boats and hitchhiked to Seattle to work as a bellhop.
Tall for his age, at 13 he convinced a stranger to sign papers so he could enlist in the Navy. By 15, he was a decorated veteran, after seeing action in North Africa and Sicily. The Navy discovered his age when he was 16, but he was allowed to continue serving after the war.
After the war, McCann was a family man, with three children, and settled in California. After being injured while on duty as a policeman, McCann brought his family back to Everett in 1961. He worked as a juvenile probation officer, for the Department of Corrections as a counselor, for the Everett police in crime prevention, and as an analyst.
He was preceded in death by his mother and stepfather, Irene and Harvey Roberts, and sisters Twyla DeLashmutt and Mary Enos.
He is survived by his wife, Helen; sisters, Edith King, Jane Parker and Teri Jones; brother, John Roberts; children, Joseph Edward McCann III and his wife, Martha; Linda Jean Borozinski and her husband, Charles; Stephen Chris McCann; and Michael William McCann and his wife, Anzhela; nine grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.
Teri Baker is writing a book about McCann and his war years.
“He was a proud man, but not in an egotistical sense,” Baker said. “He took pride in his service, his family and his appearance.”
If she had to describe him in one word, it would be “honorable,” she said.
McCann also was a known prankster.
In August 1945, while on leave in Orlando, Fla., he met the love of his life, Helen, who was working as a soda jerk. They married 10 days after they met.
“He had a certain spark,” Helen McCann said. “He was handsome, cute. His ID said he was 21.”
Her groom was 16.
Kristi O’Harran: 425-339-3451, oharran@heraldnet.com.
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