It is with the deepest sadness that we must share that USS Indianapolis Survivor Cleatus Lebow passed away earlier today.

Cleatus, 98, was a lifelong Texas resident, having grown up with 8 brothers and sisters in Abernathy. As a teen, he joined the Navy and was shortly thereafter assigned to USS Indianapolis in January of 1944. He helped the ship earn 7 of her 10 battle stars. Cleatus was a Fire Controlman 3rd class who worked as a gunnery range-finder for most of those battles including Marianas, Tinian, Iwo Jima, and the pre-bombardment of Okinawa.

Following the war, Lebow returned home to Abernathy and worked for the telephone company, where his military experience was helpful. He worked in various locations in that field for 35 years prior to retiring. He became an integral member of the USS Indianapolis Survivors Organization and attended many reunions through the following decades, honoring his shipmates and sharing their stories with everyone he could.

With his passing, there is one remaining USS Indianapolis survivor, Harold Bray, Jr.