Lee Paul Mankin, Jr. of Oak Harbor, passed away at his wintering home in Indian Wells, Calif., on April 20, 2011, after a brief but debilitating illness. He was attended to in his final resting days with loving care by his new wife Nada, and his two daughters, Barbara and Tressie. His son Donald, a tax CPA, was also there by his side to reassure him that he was to receive a big refund from the highest authority. He was 90 years old.

Paul, as he preferred to be called, was born in 1920 in Mammoth Springs, Ark., and grew up Sikeston, Mo., a small country town, until leaving home to join the U.S. Navy in 1937. Upon utilizing some creative birthdate documentation, he managed to enlist in the U.S. Navy at the age of 17. He was excited to have been chosen to enroll in flight training in Pensacola, Fla., where he received the coveted gold wings of a U.S. Naval Aviation Pilot.

The outbreak of World War II found him engaged in the South Pacific Theater against the almost insurmountable odds of the Japanese Air Force. However, he bravely fought and distinguished himself, and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and Medal of Honor. Paul has the distinction of being the first and only enlisted fighter pilot to earn the title of “ACE” by downing at least five enemy planes in combat.

After the war, like most career military officers, he was transferred from state to state. For the most part, he was stationed at the Alameda Naval Air Station, in Alameda, Calif., where he and his wife, Kathleen, raised their family. Paul retired from the U.S. Navy with the rank of captain after a 21 year career. His commendable military service gave him another distinction. At the time of retirement, he was the youngest captain in Naval history. He then pursued a career with New York Life Insurance Company while residing in Alameda.

Paul’s love of the outdoors, and all things marine, prompted him to switch gears away from the life insurance and suit and tie world to become a 100-ton licensed yacht captain, able to run the 120-foot MV “The Lovely Lady,” and other yachts of this size and caliber. After a few years of this endeavor, seeking more independence, he switched gears again and had his own salmon charter fishing boat built, which he operated out of Westport, Wash. Many salmon limits were boated and filleted under his expertise and dedication to his passenger customers.

Upon the demise of the salmon fishing industry in Westport, Paul sought the enjoyments of retired life, and spent many summers cruising the Pacific Northwest inside passage between Oak Harbor and Alaska, on his “Niknam” private cruising yacht. True to his nature and expertise, many prized salmon, halibut, crab and shrimps were also boated aboard the “Niknam.”

Paul was preceded in death by his wife of 63 years, Kathleen (Finn) of Oak Harbor.

He is survived by his wife Nada (Crabtree) of Indian Wells, Calif.; and children, Lee Paul Mankin, III (Vicki) of Medford, Ore., Barbara Persson (Floyd) of Ellensburg, Donald Mankin (Carrie) of San Francisco, and Tressie Oylear (Jerry) of Snohomish; six grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild. Gone, but not forgotten. Fair winds and following seas, Capt’n.

An interment service will be held on Friday, May 13, at 2:15 p.m. at the Tahoma Military Cemetery. Military Honors will be rendered. A reception will follow Saturday afternoon, May 14, at the family residence at 1031 SW Fleet St., Oak Harbor. His wife and children wish to invite all friends and family for a celebration of Paul’s life.

Arrangements are entrusted to Burley Funeral Chapel where friends may go online at www.burleyfuneralchapel.com to sign a guest register and leave memories for the family.