Charles N. Harvey's Obituary
Charles N. Harvey Jr., 73, of Lewes, DE passed away on June 17th, at Penn University Hospital, due to the return of a lymphoma that he had beaten the previous year. Born in Leeds, England on February 18, 1951, he was the only son of the late Charles N. and Mary (Jack) Harvey. The family moved to Union City, New Jersey when he was five years old. His mother passed away a year later at the age of 27. When he was 12 his father remarried Helen Zak, from Lodi, NJ, who gave him his life-long love of Polish food.
He attended Emerson High School in Union City, NJ and graduated in 1969. He then attended Western New England College in Springfield, MA. This is where he became "Mr. C", made friends he would keep for life and met the love of his life, Patricia Ryan. They married on June 21, 1975 in Springfield. A burgeoning career as a commercial roofing salesman moved the family to Hopewell Junction, NY in 1982, where they would live for over 30 years.
Charlie was not one to sit still and was always on the go. He always loved sports, playing basketball and football in high school. As an adult he played basketball, volleyball, golf and was an avid cyclist. In retirement he played pool, fished, rode his motorcycle and spent time at the beach. When not out playing he always had a game on at home, with the Yankees, Giants and Leeds United being top of the list. He also loved to travel; Cape Cod, Puerta Vallarta, England, Ireland and Scotland being favorites. He was also known to visit his grandchildren as often as possible.
Charlie battled kidney disease for most of his life. After 40 years of keeping his kidneys in good health, it was finally time to get a kidney transplant. As luck would have it, his wife and children were all matches. Patricia donated a kidney in 2014, bringing them that much closer together. They then retired and moved to Lewes, DE that same year. In Delaware they realized that Patricia could be denied health insurance because she had donated an organ. Charlie called his state senator and began the process that established the Living Donor Protection Act of 2022 - making it illegal for insurance companies to discriminate against living organ or tissue donors in Delaware.
Charlie is survived by his loving wife of 49 years, Patricia; his son Charles (Angie) of Wilmington, DE; his son Brian (Lauren) of Yonkers, NY; his grandchildren Tess, Devon, Colin, Paige and Kate. He is also survived by five brothers-in-law, five sisters-in-law and his sixteen nieces and nephews. He is also survived by Harvey and Jack relatives in England that he reunited with during a 2001 visit. A Celebration of Life will be planned at a later date and family and friends will be notified.
In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to the National Kidney Foundation at www.kidney.org
Please sign the tribute page located on this website.
What’s your fondest memory of Charles?
What’s a lesson you learned from Charles?
Share a story where Charles' kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Charles you’ll never forget.
How did Charles make you smile?