Patricia Grambling Harvey, 84, of Las Cruces and Upper St. Regis, N.Y., died Thursday, June 30, 2011, in Upper St. Regis. She was born Feb. 24, 1927, in El Paso to Allen Rowell Grambling and Marion Hogan Grambling, and lived there until the past 15 years.
Patricia graduated from El Paso High School and attended Stephens College in Columbia, Mo., as well as the University of Texas at Austin, where she majored in piano and organ and was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority.
She graduated from Texas Western College (now UTEP) in El Paso in 1947. It was there that she met E.P. (Phil) Harvey, just back from the Pacific in World War II where he flew P-51 fighters, and they were married April 24, 1948, at the Church of St. Clement in El Paso, a marriage that would last over 59 years until Phil's passing.
Phil came from a ranching and banking family, so Pat, as she was known to family and friends, was also quite involved in those endeavors. She accompanied him on many trips to New Mexico Cattle Grower's, American National Cattlemen's and Public Lands Council meetings all across the nation. Phil spent considerable time in Santa Fe and in Washington, D.C., lobbying for the ranching industry, and Pat was a loyal, dedicated traveling partner for him on countless trips. There were also hundreds of trips to the ranches, where Pat and Phil would take their three sons to ride, hike, hunt and explore.
Pat had grown up playing piano at a very young age, was quite an accomplished pianist and pipe organist, and was the head mistress of the 50-some member Junior Choir at St. Clement's Church for a number of years. She was a member of the American Guild of Organists, and played a number of recitals in her younger years. Patricia was an avid gardener wherever she lived, and always insisted on having lots of green grass, plants and evergreen trees in her yard. Her garden in El Paso was full of violets transplanted from her grandfather John R. Hogan's garden, behind his pharmacy in Saranac Lake. She played tennis as long as she was physically able, being a longtime member of the El Paso Tennis Club and playing in many tournaments throughout the Southwest.
Most of Pat's married life was devoted to raising her three sons. Her athletic ability came in quite handy in playing baseball, basketball and other sports with her sons. She drove thousands of miles to football games, practices, band concerts and PTA meetings.
She also made certain they attended St. Clement's every Sunday, except when out of town, and encouraged the boys as members of the junior choir and as acolytes. Patricia was raised in the Episcopal Church, and loved and read her 1928 Prayer Book daily until her last day. Pat was a member of the Colonial Dames and the Daughters of the American Revolution, and she and Phil were quite active in Republican politics throughout their married lives.
Patricia's mother, Marion Hogan Grambling, was from Saranac Lake. Marion's parents, John and Bessie Hale Hogan, owned the pharmacy at the location where Charles Green's Market was later located, and an apartment above. The Hogans also had a camp on the Saranac River where Patricia spent nearly every summer of her earlier life. It is these experiences and memories of fishing, canoeing and cooking on a wood stove in the Adirondacks that caused Patricia to vow to someday have a camp of her own. She was devastated that the Hogan's camp was sold, and she was finally able to purchase her camp on Upper St. Regis in 1982, where she and Phil spent every summer since. They even brought up her old 1941 Chris Craft from Elephant Butte Lake in New Mexico to reside on Upper St. Regis. It had been a wedding gift to Patricia from Phil's father, C.M. Harvey.
Pat was a totally devoted wife, and when Phil became ill in his later years, she loved and cared for him night and day at the expense of her own health. He passed away in 2007 at Upper St. Regis, and now they are back together once more. Her family would like to express their love and sincere appreciation to Ted and Bernie Ratelle; Carol Montroy; Skip and Clemos Tanzini; Ida Poindexter; Kim Kennedy and Tommy Farrer for their unwavering help and support for Patricia and Phil in the past several years.
Patricia was preceded in death by her husband, Eldon Phillips (Phil) Harvey Sr. She is survived by her three sons, Eldon P. (Phil) Harvey Jr. and his wife, Carlitta, of Mesilla; Allen G. Harvey and his wife, Julie, of Midland, Texas; and Patrick L. Harvey and his wife, Lisa, of Scottsdale, Ariz.; five grandchildren, Elizabeth Harvey Abrams and her husband, Matt, of Arlington, Va.; E. Phil Harvey III and his wife, Charity, of Las Cruces; Margaret M. Harvey, of Mesilla; Dr. Jessica H. Harvey, of San Francisco; Allen G. Harvey Jr., of Charlottesville, Va.; two stepgrandchildren, Andrew Carlson, of New York, and Jeffrey Carlson, of Scottsdale; and one great-granddaughter, Molly NaDeanne Harvey, of Las Cruces.
The funeral service was held Tuesday, July 5, 2011, at 1 p.m. at Pine Ridge Cemetery, Saranac Lake, N.Y. Pallbearers were: Phil Harvey Jr., Allen Harvey, Patrick Harvey, Phil Harvey III, Allen Harvey Jr. and Matt Abrams. Honorary pallbearers were: Paul Harvey Jr., Bill Littlefield, Dean Rhoads, Skip Tanzini and Ted Ratelle.
Funeral arrangements were made by Fortune-Keough Funeral Home, 20 Church St., Saranac Lake, NY 12983. In lieu of flowers, it is requested that contributions be made to the Pine Ridge Cemetery Association, P.O. Box 467, Saranac Lake, NY 12983. Family and friends can sign the online guest book at fortunekeoughfuneralhome.com.
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Published in Alamogordo Daily News on July 20, 2011
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