Obituary of William L. Harvey

William Leonard Harvey, 79, of Parker passed away January 16, 2012. He was preceded in death by his beloved first wife, Marilyn after nearly 50 years of marriage, brother, Jimmy and sister, Marilyn. He was born in Denver on May 20, 1932 to William R. Harvey and Gladys Mary Lilly Harvey. Bill attended South High School where he was part of ROTC and excelled on the Rifle Team. He pursued his interest in photography on the Annual Staff. In November 1949 he joined the Marine Corps Reserve group at Buckley Naval Air Station. In September 1950 he enlisted in the Marines and was sent to San Diego for the telephone repairman school. Bill attended The Colorado School of Mines where he was involved in photography, ROTC and Tau Beta Pi. He married Marilyn Frances Coffee on Dec. 28, 1954. He had several careers, initially working in Montana as a Geophysical Engineer. Later he worked for Martin as a Quality Test Engineer writing and testing the specifications for parts of the Titan I Intercontinental Missile Project. He also worked on the Viking Lander and was part of the Gemini VII/VI Launch team. He worked on Project Dinosaur which was a military version of Skylab. Later, he became a land developer of large lot properties in The Hills at Bayou Gulch, Castle Ridge and The Oaks in Castle Rock. He spent time as a member of the Greenwood Village Planning and Zoning Commission and on the Greenwood City Council. He was proud that his family had been in Colorado since the gold rush days. He loved the mountains and he climbed 43 of the 14ers. He spent many years on National Ski Patrol including Vail and Copper Mountain, eventually becoming Regional Director for the Western Region. He enjoyed classic cars and beautifully restored several of them. He and Marilyn were involved in several Motor Home Clubs traveling around the US, Mexico and Canada. They also enjoyed square dancing. He was a member of Friendship Force and enjoyed many wonderful, international trips with them as well as hosting visitors here. He enjoyed sailing in many different areas. He was a voracious reader. He loved classical music. He enjoyed snow free winters in Arizona where he was involved with several car clubs and the Lake Havasu City Museum of History. He volunteered at the Museum, was a docent, and enjoyed lively conversations with a discussion group there. He nurtured a fine cherry tree in his yard and made terrific cherry pies with the fruit. On September 17, 2005 he married Joanne Castellan Shaw. He was a good friend to many and will be sorely missed. He is survived by his loving wife, Joanne and son, William M. Harvey of Golden, CO, daughters- Veronica McKay (Mark) of Parker, CO, Colleen Farmer of Golden, CO, Teresa Brandon (Dave) of Centennial, CO and six grandchildren a�" Teagan and Kelly Farmer of Denver, Patrick and Connor McKay of Parker, and Loren and Bonnie Brandon of Centennial, as well as stepsons, Ken Shaw (Ruth) of Colorado Springs, Chip Shaw (Ann) of Manitou Springs and Norm Shaw, of Littleton. Step grandchildren include Kenny Shaw (Sarah) of McGehee, AR, Danny and Adrian Shaw of Colorado Springs, Chipper and Chloe Shaw and Daniel Rodgers of Manitou Springs and Nicole Shaw of Denver. The family wishes to thank the doctors, nurses and staff at Aurora Medical Center for the professional and caring treatment that he received there. They all went out of their way to be kind and helpful. A Memorial Mass will be held on Monday, January 30, 2012, 11 AM at Ave Maria Catholic Church, 9056 E. Parker Road in Parker. A Vigil will be held Sunday, January 29th at 7 pm also at Ave Maria Catholic Church. In lieu of flowers contributions may be made in his name to Denver Hospice, 501 S. Cherry St. Denver, CO 80246 Service Information