Harvey O. Williams

Ora Harvey Williams, known to all of us as Harvey, was born February 26, 1936 in Grand Junction, Colorado. He was the youngest of five children, Eva, Alta, Irma, Nina and Harvey. He was the only boy, and was named for his maternal grandfather, Ora Cary. Being the only boy with four older sisters, he was a bit spoiled. His mother and father owned a little grocery store with living quarters above. Harvey loved that because he was able to go down to the store and help himself to whatever he wanted including candy bars. He had a bike and loved to ride. He rode that bike everywhere. His parents sold the store and bought a farm in Fruita, Colorado. His father was sick much of the time on the farm. He was diagnosed with lung cancer and hospitalized in Denver at Fitzsimons Army Hospital and later in the Veterans Hospital in Grand Junction. Harvey lived with his oldest sister, Eva, and her family during his junior year in high school, and with another sister, Alta, and her family, during his senior year while his mother was in Denver with his father. They milked cows, gathered eggs and then ate the eggs, seeing how many they could eat. Bob reported that they each ate a dozen at one sitting and then pancakes that Alta made. He loved ketchup and put it on everything'maybe even ice cream. Upon completing high school, he attended school in Pueblo and Chicago to learn about the railroad. He met Royce Kay Stevens in high school. She worked at the soda fountain in the drug store where Harvey's mother worked. They married in 1956 and lived in a railroad car in Cisco, Utah while Harvey was working with the railroad. They also lived in Salt Lake and Leadville before moving to Denver where Harvey became chief dispatcher. Harvey and Kay's daughter, Jana, was born in Grand Junction in 1958. He was so happy and proud to be a father. He was also a very productive dad. Harvey seemed to always be working two jobs. He wanted to provide the best for Kay and Jana and was a work-a-holic with very high expectations for all three. Harvey and Kay took vacations to Europe, Argentina, Mexico and Las Vegas, etc. When they traveled, Jana got to spend time with her maternal grandparents. When Kay was stricken with cancer, his priority for work changed and he was devoted to caring for her. They were married for thirty-three years. After Kay's death, he opened a new chapter for his life with Marie. He worked hard and long to capture her heart. They were married September 2, 1995. During the fourteen years Harvey and Marie were married, they dined out, viewed movies, drove, hiked, biked, flew, cruised, danced, built a new home, bird watched, played games such as Farkle and Mahjongg, and never let Harvey's Parkinson's disease, although difficult, keep them from enjoying life. After retirement, he seemed to show a gentler side, except when working on projects. Harvey had many hobbies: carpentry, mechanics and gadgets, trains, stained glass, garage sales, and seeking good deals plus many more, I'm sure. Carpentry was a hobby that started when Harvey was a young man and continued into adulthood, making his mother a small sewing table and a child's table and chairs for me early on. He finished basements, remodeled bathrooms and kitchens, built decks and made calendar frames for his family and friends. There didn't seem to be a project he would not tackle. He was also very interested in mechanics. Cars were a passion, luxury cars, sports cars, trucks and almost anything with four wheels. His first car was a used Plymouth. We always expected to see a new car whenever we came to visit. It seems that three years was the longest he owned any one vehicle and a three year old car was an oddity. After retirement, he would buy mechanical toys at flea markets. Many of them no longer worked but he worked and worked on them until they did work. Trains and railroading were of great interest. That interest became the career that lasted 38 years. Many of his shifts were at night or evening which left days and weekends for his other jobs, including a small carnival business that his family, Harvey, Kay and Jana, worked feverishly on, providing fundraising for schools and churches. Much of his last years were spent looking for relief from Parkinson's symptoms. DBS (Deep Brain Stimulation) was a hope that drove him and was realized in 2008. Until October 2009, DBS seemed to be the relief he had searched for. No one deserves the events since October. Harvey, we are happy for you that you have finally escaped your torn and troubled body but we are missing the twinkle in your bright blue eyes and your mischievous smile. Please share your memories of Harvey and/or condolences to his family by selecting the ""Sign Guestbook"" tab below.