Walter Richard Harvey Sr.

Walter Richard Harvey, Sr., age 92, went to be with the Lord on November 17, 2024 in Conway, Arkansas after a battle with metastatic prostate cancer from exposure to herbicides on the planes he repaired during his military service. Son of Lois Ruth Goodrich Harvey and Walter Russell Harvey, he was born August 26, 1932 in Boone, Iowa.

At age 17, Walt met Arlene Arlys Heitman from South Dakota through her Aunt Marcene, who just happened to be the wife of Walt's pastor, Byron Galyen, at a church in Minnesota. Aunt Marcene introduced them one Thanksgiving, and their lifetime together began. Walt entered the Air Force at age 18, as an Airframe Repairman and was sent overseas to Tachikawa, Japan and Korea, but before he left, he asked Arlene if she would wait for him, and she said she would. When he returned in 1953, Walt and Arlene were married. Being sent all over the United States, he dedicated a total of twenty-four years of his life to protecting and defending his country and earned many commendations for his excellent work ethics and accomplishments. After entering the military, Walt got his GED, and then graduated from Chapman College with his Batchelor of Arts degree in 1970. He continued his education to earn a Master of Business Administration degree from Golden Gate University in 1973. During Walt's twenty-four years in the Air Force, he was praised by his supervisors for his impeccable work and ethics. Late in his Air Force career, he was asked to represent the Aerospace Defense Command and assist in a review of the Specialty Knowledge Test. Walt wrote three comprehensive standardization evaluation tests and supervised the preparations for seven other tests for the Instrumentation Combat Crew positions. He played a major role in his section earning an outstanding rating with superior results during operational deployment to Johnston Island. He received all of these commendations, yet because of his humility and integrity, his family never learned about much of it until late in his life after his classified work had been declassified. Even then, they did not hear it from him. Walt was involved in classified activity working at a missile control launch site on Johnston Island. In the event of a national attack, he and his lieutenant would be responsible for guiding a missile containing a nuclear warhead being launched into space.

Walt was known for his passionate love for God and for his wife and family. He taught his kids to be responsible and to have integrity, loving God more than anything else. A memorable quote from him to his children was, "Whatever book you pick up to read, hold the Bible in one hand and the other book in the opposite hand. If the two do not agree, toss out the other book!" He was also known for coining the phrase, which he used often with his children, "Grab yourself by the nape of the neck, and say, 'Self, do it!" He called this, "Napology," which just recently was submitted to the Online Urban Dictionary by a friend, and it was accepted as a new word entry!

Walt is survived by his wife, Arlene Arlys Heitman Harvey and his six children and their families: Deborah Sue and John Tweed and their family, Barbara Jean and Phil Popineau and their family, Patricia Ann and Gary McDonald and their family, Marlene Arlys and Dan Martin and their family, Cheryl Lynn and Brent Pickens and their family, and Walter Richard Harvey, Jr. and Traci and their family, 26 grandchildren and 47 great-grandchildren, and Walt's brother Daniel Leroy and Deann Harvey and their family. He was preceded by his parents, Walter Russell Harvey and Lois Ruth Goodrich Harvey, as well as his brothers Benjamin William Harvey and David Lee Harvey.

A memorial gathering will be held for him at 10:00 a.m., Monday, November 25, 2024 at Griffin Leggett Healey & Roth Funeral Home. Funeral services will begin at 11:00 a.m. following the gathering at the funeral home. Interment will be with military honors the following day, Tuesday, November 26, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. at the Arkansas State Veterans Cemetery in North Little Rock.