Fred J. Harvey

Fred J. Harvey, 75, passed away peacefully on Saturday, January 10, 2026, at Woodlands Senior Park in Fond du Lac, WI. He was born in Chicago, IL on October 18, 1950, to the late Fred Harvey and Anne Sesol Harvey Kloese.

Fred was a man of resilience, curiosity, and deep love for his family. He graduated from Bogan High School in Chicago, Illinois, in 1968 and served in the United States Navy. Following his military service, Fred moved to Wisconsin, where he became a certified nursing assistant and worked at the Fond du Lac County Mental Health Center.

Although Fred faced some troubling times in the 1970s, he persevered with determination and strength. He completed the NOVA program in Oshkosh and went on to become an AODA Counselor, dedicating his career to helping others. After moving to Wauwatosa, Fred worked as an AODA counselor and served as a line counselor on a UW–Milwaukee research grant studying the efficacy of four treatment modalities. He later worked at the Wisconsin Certification Board in Wauwatosa as a complaints investigator.

Fred was never afraid to embrace change. His varied career path reflected his lifelong love of learning and travel. Fred studied business management at Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee and he later moved to Sun Prairie, where he served as Clinic Director at Madison Health Services. During this time, Fred pursued a long-held goal of furthering his education and earned his Master's degree in Teaching English as a Second Language in 2007 from Saint Michael's College in Colchester, Vermont.

From 2007 to 2014, Fred taught English in Indonesia and China. He especially loved his time in China, where he cherished his students and the friendships he formed. Teaching abroad combined his passion for education, travel, and connection with others. Wherever he lived, Fred valued simple moments of companionship, often enjoying long conversations over coffee with friends, colleagues, or anyone willing to sit and share a story or two-usually accompanied by his unmistakable dry sense of humor.

Fred loved to travel both for work and pleasure-whether visiting family in Florida, Missouri, and Toronto, Ontario, or setting out on a spontaneous road trip just to see where the road would take him. Though always on the move, his home and heart were with his family, especially his children, Brian and Jenny. Nothing meant more to him than time spent with them, and he treasured their moments together, particularly their annual trips to Six Flags Great America, filled with laughter and shared adventures.

Fred enjoyed good television shows and movies, and in his earlier years, he was an accomplished bowler, a skill he proudly learned from his mother. Those who knew him well appreciated his quick wit and understated humor, often delivered with perfect timing. Above all, Fred was deeply grateful for his higher power and for the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous, which supported him in maintaining 49 years of sobriety as of this past December. He lived by the words he often shared with others: one day at a time.

Those left to cherish his memory include his children, Brian Harvey, of Appleton, WI and Jennifer (Rich) Laudolff, of Charlotte, NC; his grandson, Joseph Laudolff; his siblings, Raymond (Mary) Harvey, of Excelsior Springs, MO, Annette (Allen) Grimpe, Hendersonville, NC; and Paul Harvey of Toronto, Ontario; his sister-in-law, Barbara Harvey of Hudson, WI; nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his oldest brother, Leonard Harvey.

Cremation has taken place. A Celebration of Fred's Life will be held at a later date.

Memorials may be directed to his family.