Francis C. Flaherty

March 15, 1919 - December 7, 1941

Francis C. Flaherty of Charlotte, Michigan died in the attack on Pearl Harbor trying to help his shipmates escape from the USS Oklahoma. He was awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest military decoration, for helping his shipmates escape the ship at the expense of his own life. Flaherty and 428 other men were entombed in the Oklahoma, which was raised in 1943 and all the remains were interred in a mass grave entitled "Unknowns" at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii. On November 1, 2019, Flaherty's remains were identified. Flaherty is now being brought home and will be laid to rest in his hometown on Saturday, August 21, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. Residents of the area are asked to come out and show support for this local World War II hero by lining the streets of Charlotte from Pray Funeral Home to Maple Hill Cemetery. Please plan to be lined up on the streets by 10:15 a.m., for the procession that will begin at 10:30, led by the American Legion Riders. Start at 401 W. Seminary St. traveling E on Seminary St. to Cochran Avenue. North on Cochran Avenue through Downtown Charlotte. E. on Lawrence Ave. to Lansing Rd. NE on Lansing Rd. to Tully Brown Dr.