Robert (“Bun”) Tower Harvey, beloved husband, father and grandfather, passed away peacefully on the 5th of March, 2018, at the age of 93, in Natick, MA. He is survived by his wife, Victoria Ogden Harvey; eight children - Linda Harvey, Kaki Harvey Hinton, Laura Harvey, Jennifer Harvey, Janet (Po) Harvey D’Arcy, Robert Harvey Jr., Wink Harvey, Millicent Harvey; four stepchildren - Jennifer Ogden Harris, Matthew Ogden, Melissa Ogden Mucciaccio, John Ogden; his sister, Jane Baldwin; 19 grandchildren, a great grandchild and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his first wife, Janet Crapo Harvey and his stepson, Adam Ogden.
His beloved wife, Victoria of 27 years and family were by his side in his final hours.
Bun was born on February 9, 1925, in Natick, MA to Murray Cheever Harvey and Dorothy Tower Harvey. He lived most of his life in and around Wellesley, MA.
He graduated from Wellesley High School and did a post-graduate year at Phillips Andover before enrolling at Dartmouth College, Class of 1947. Bun was a standout athlete, lettering in football, basketball, and baseball. While at Dartmouth, he was part of the US Marine Corps V-12 program and enrolled in the Dartmouth’s Thayer School of Engineering, from which he graduated as a second lieutenant.
Bun started a family and settled in Wellesley, MA. He worked for Arthur C. Harvey Steel Company and later Ryerson Steel Company as National Sales Manager.. He was transferred to Chicago, where he earned an MBA from the University of Chicago while working full-time. He and his family, returned to Wellesley in 1964, when Bun was promoted to General Manager of Ryerson Steel. Later in his career he was self-employed as a manufacturer’s representative for the steel industry until retirement in 2013.
Bun was an active member in the Wellesley community and served on the school committee from 1967-1973 acting as chairman from 1971-1973. He was a member of Brae Burn Country Club and was an excellent golfer, playing well into his senior years.
Bun was adept at languages and had an encyclopedic memory of history, which remained with him throughout his life. He loved music, particularly jazz and blue grass, and was fond of playing his 78s of Billie Holiday and Bix Beiderbecke. An accomplished photographer and film editor, Bun was the home movie “guru”, creating thousands of Kodak slides and many 16mm films which remain sources of great enjoyment to his family. He was a true Boston sports enthusiast, with particular fondness for the Red Sox and Celtics. Most of all, Bun had a compassionate and gentle soul and was always kind to friends and strangers alike.
Bun was a lifelong member of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Wellesley, MA. Family and friends are cordially invited to gather in celebration of his life at St. Andrew’s on Saturday, March 17th, 11:00am, for a memorial service followed by a reception.
Our beloved Robert Tower Harvey will be laid to rest at Woodlawn Cemetery in Wellesley, MA.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in Bun’s memory can be made to St. Andrew’s/Harvey Room Fund, 79 Denton Road, Wellesley, MA 02482