Gordon Harvey

Gordon Wade Harvey, a 35-year federal civil servant, husband, father and beloved "Pops" to his grand and great-grandchildren, passed away peacefully on February 1, 2019, at the Mandrin Care Center of the Hospice of the Chesapeake. He was 79. Born into humble beginnings on December 29, 1939, in Ada, West Virginia, to his dearly-loved parents, the late Charles Lawrence Harvey, Sr., and Nannie Kate Caldwell Harvey, Gordon spent his childhood with his five siblings in a small, "waterless" family farmhouse in Princeton, West Virginia. From an early age, his parents instilled in him and his siblings the values of faith, family, integrity, hard work and gratefulness. Gordon's first job as a child: holding the family cow while it grazed for hours on end in an unfenced pasture. Unhappy with his wage of $1 a week for such monotonous work, Gordon complained to his father who promptly decreased his wage to $0. Thereafter, Gordon devoted himself to his education and to finding more lucrative work. He was greatly encouraged to do so by his parents and his first employer and mentor, Dewey J. Bailey, Sr., the owner of Lynch's, a men's clothing store in Princeton. The first in his family to go to college, Gordon completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Education and Accounting in 1962 from Concord College in Athens, West Virginia. He later received a Master's degree in Public Administration from the University of Oklahoma in 1973. He also completed Executive Development Programs at the Federal Executive Institute and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. On February 23, 1962, Gordon eloped with Thelma Josephine Bailey, also of Princeton, West Virginia, thus beginning a 57-year love affair that would produce two children, six grandchildren and one great grandchild. Inspired by President Kennedy's call to federal service during his inaugural address, Gordon joined Thelma Jo in Washington, DC, with only $100 in the bank and began what would become a distinguished federal government career. In the 1960's and 1970's Gordon held progressively more responsible positions with the U.S. Army Audit Agency, beginning as an Intern and later becoming a Junior Auditor, a Senior Auditor, a Supervisory Auditor, and finally a Managing Auditor and Program Director. A Certified Internal Auditor and Fraud Examiner, Gordon rose to manage the Pentagon Audit Office which directed army-wide audits throughout the world. Thereafter, he joined the Federal Energy Administration (later the Department of Energy) where he worked for the Office of Inspector General performing nation-wide audits, inspections, and investigations of federal programs. An expert at revamping dysfunctional federal organizations, Gordon's last position with the government was as the Deputy Inspector General for the Department of Energy. A charter member of the federal Senior Executive Service, Gordon received from President Clinton in 1994 the nation's top award for Senior Executives, the Presidential Distinguished Rank Award. Gordon retired shortly thereafter having served 35 years in the federal government.. Gordon lived with his family in Bowie, Maryland, for nearly 40 years before moving to Annapolis in 2008. He was a faithful member of St. Matthew's United Methodist Church in Bowie for 50 years. After his retirement, Gordon filled his time selling real estate, traveling with Thelma and with his children and grandchildren, lecturing on government ethics, and performing charity work. His hometown of Princeton honored him with its Silver Jubilee Citizenship Award for his efforts in collecting over 250 donated vehicles to replace those lost in a disastrous 1985 flood that occurred in West Virginia. In 1997, his alma mater, Concord, awarded him with its Outstanding Alumnus Award.In the words of his beloved mother, Gordon truly "had a lot to be thankful for." He will be missed by all who appreciated his compassion, humor, guidance, and love.Gordon was predeceased by his brother, Charles "Bud" Harvey, and his sister Betty Pross. He is survived by his brother, Ronnie Harvey of Princeton, WV; his sisters, Gerri Cahill of Princeton, WV, and Doris Copeland of Belmont, NC; his children, Sonja Kay Harvey Murray (Craige) of Winston-Salem, NC, and Gordon Michael Harvey (Katy) of Washington, DC; and his grandchildren, Katherine Blake Murray Grote (Sam), Rebecca Craige Murray, Addison Batcheller Murray, Eleanor Ava Harvey, Tess Margaret Harvey and Jake Gordon Harvey; and his first great-grandchild, Carmichael Craige Grote. A celebration of Gordon's life will be held Saturday, March 2, 2019, at 4:00 PM at St. Matthew's United Methodist Church, 14900 Annapolis Road, Bowie, MD. Prior to the service, the family will receive friends from 3:00 – 3:45p.m. in the church's fellowship hall. In lieu of flowers, Gordon's family invites you to celebrate his memory by donating to the Alzheimer's Association or Hospice of the Chesapeake, who lovingly cared for Gordon in his final days.