William Harvey Sr.

William R. “Bill” Harvey Sr., 95, a resident of Bettendorf, Iowa died peacefully at his home on Saturday, January 2, 2016.

A service to celebrate his life will be held at 11:00 A.M. on Friday, January 8, 2016 at Asbury United Methodist Church, 18th & Mississippi St. in Bettendorf.  He will be laid to rest at Oakdale Memorial Gardens.  Visitation will be from 4:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. on Thursday, January 7, 2016 at the McGinnis-Chambers Funeral Home of Bettendorf.  Additional visitation will be from 10:00 A.M. to 11:00 A.M. on Friday at the church.  In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Asbury United Methodist Church or the Rotary Foundation.

He was born in Stuart, Iowa on September 29, 1920, the son of Leslie & Emma E. (Hadley) Harvey.  He graduated from Stuart High School and attended William Penn College in Oskaloosa for a year after which as a courageous 19-year old, Bill hitchhiked to California for an adventure that shaped his later life.  While there, he lived with cousins and supported himself by picking olives, oranges (5 cents and 6 cents a bushel) while earning some college credits at Fullerton Junior College. Though he enjoyed California and returned annually, love brought him back to Iowa where was united in marriage to Helen I. Ratliff on December 25, 1942 at the Friends Church in Stuart.  Bill & Helen celebrated 73 wonderful years together this past Christmas day.

As a young man of the Quaker faith, he did not rush to enlist in the service after Pearl Harbor, but did answer the draft when called.  He served in the Army Signal Intelligence in the China, Burma and India Theater during World War II and was honorably discharged in 1945.

The Harvey family came to Bettendorf in 1951 when the population was just over 5000.  Bill was fortunate to have participated in the amazing growth of the community as a builder and developer.  He loved to be part of the construction process and had an affinity for heavy earthmoving equipment.  Bettendorf grew to nearly 30,000 residents in a short period of time and had been dubbed as “Iowa’s Most Exciting City” by a local newspaper editor.  Bill developed several neighborhoods, constructed hundreds of homes and built many commercial and community buildings including Mark Twain Elementary School, Herbert Hoover Elementary School as well as the Cumberland Square shopping complex and surrounding areas.

As an adult, he learned to fly from Agonair at the former Bettendorf Airport and became a proficient pilot flying a Beechcraft Bonanza to all corners of the country.

Bill founded the Harvey Construction Company and the Timberline Engineering Company, both of Bettendorf.  He was 64-year member of Asbury United Methodist Church of Bettendorf, served as a National Director of the National HomeBuilders Association and President of the Iowa Association. He served on the Board of Directors of Hillcrest Family Services of Dubuque, Iowa for many years.  In addition, he was a retired member of the Board of Directors of Northwest Bank & Trust, a founding member of Crow Valley Country Club, a member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and took great pride in being a founding member of over 50 years of the Bettendorf Rotary Club. Additionally, he was involved in a myriad of civic committees including Planning and Zoning, the Scott County Tax Board, and during that growth, was President of the Bettendorf Industrial Group.

Those left to honor his memory include his beloved wife, Helen; his daughter, Kris (Ross) Wirth of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma; his son, Vern (Chris) Harvey of Bettendorf; his granddaughters, Megan Harvey of Bettendorf and Sara (Kevin) Love of Portland, Oregon; his grandsons, Mitch (Robyn) Harvey of Bettendorf and James (Shawnda) Wirth of Broken Arrow; his great-grandchildren, Max White of Bettendorf, Nicholas William Harvey of Bettendorf, Joshua Love of Portland, Oregon and Ryker, Reese and Remington Wirth, all of Broken Arrow; his sister, Joyce (Fred) Foote of Titusville, Florida; his brother, John Robert Harvey of Des Moines, Iowa; and many other relatives and wonderful friends.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents; his brother, Wendell Harvey; and infant brother, Paul Harvey; and a son, William Harvey Jr.

The family wishes to express their heartfelt admiration and appreciation to the entire staff and great friends at the Fountains for the extraordinary, compassionate and truly loving care they have shown to our family.