Rock Hill, SC – Melvin E. Harvey, 85, passed away Thursday, February 15, 2024.
A memorial service will be held at St. Mary Catholic Church, 902 Crawford Rd, in Rock Hill, Saturday, February 24 at 11 a.m.
Mel was born in Ashland, West Virginia, the son of the late Noah Raymond Harvey and Ocie Davidson Harvey. Mel graduated from Peterstown (WV) High School where, as one of only 12 boys in the senior class, he played football, baseball and basketball. He graduated from West Virginia Business College.
He enlisted in the U.S. Army, trained in Texas and served in Germany before being called to serve again in Fort Smith, Arkansas. After his first military service, Mel moved to Charlotte and went to work at Home Finance, where he met his future wife, Mary Pat Harper. They were married within a year on December 27, 1961, and remained married for 62 years, raising a family of four boys along the way.
Mel worked in the then-emerging field of computer systems, first in programming and eventually in systems analytics. He worked with Eckerd in Charlotte and then in Clearwater, Florida. He returned to the Carolinas with INA Bearing in Cheraw, SC and later in Fort Mill. After retirement, Mel worked to stay active, making new friends along the way at the York County Collection and Recycling Centers.
Mel enjoyed golf and fishing, but it was more about the people he was with than the activity itself. He loved being around people, visiting with family and friends and telling stories. He had a great sense of humor and loved to hear (and tell) a good joke.
Family was very important to Mel, and he looked forward to large annual family reunions where they would recall stories about great meals on his grandmother’s farm or life in the West Virginia coal camps and mining communities. He also enjoyed smaller family visits with his brothers, sister and grandchildren. Mel had a way of making everyone feel welcome, especially his new “daughters” as his sons began to marry and start families of their own.
Mel had strong faith in the Lord. It was never loud but he was active in the Catholic churches he attended in Rock Hill, Fort Mill and York. He was a former member of the Knights of Columbus.
He is survived by his wife, Mary Pat; sons Chip (Falicia), Troy (Maria), Mark (Angel) and Michael (Rhonda); grandchildren, Olivia, Nathaniel, James, Amber, Ethan, Lucas and Nicolas; brothers, Ned and Darrell of Peterstown, WV; sister, Letha Spangler of Charlotte as well as six nephews and six nieces.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital, Shriners Children’s Hospital or to the Wayne T. Patrick Hospice House in Rock Hill.