MELVILLE JAMES HARVEY

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MELVILLE JAMES HARVEY

It is with a heavy heart that our family announces the sudden passing of our beloved father and most cherished husband, Mel Harvey, aged 77, June 9, 2026 at the family summer cottage.

Second child of Len and Alice Harvey, Mel was born in Brandon Hospital and raised in Rivers, MB. Named for his grandfathers, Horace Melville Harvey and Alexander James Ingram Angus, Mel jokingly made mention that he somehow managed to acquire what he felt was maybe "the best of both" his Grandpas’ names. A middle child, Mel truly enjoyed small town life, and in particular his many lifelong friendships with Dennis Wiebe, Wilf Taylor and his cousin, Carl Forman.

While Rivers was "home in the summer" to his many cousins who visited at grandparents’ homes, his cousin, Ron Harvey, was most like a "brother cousin". Known for their evening childhood pranks in a small town, they had a lasting friendship. Their friendship continued to be closely connected over many years even though Ron, Sue, Mark and Michelle moved frequently due to their work in the Armed Forces. Summer after summer in retirement, Mel and Ron alternated weeklong visits combined with lots of golf games while Lex and Sue enjoyed sightseeing, "lunches out" while shopping, and great evening dinners with their guys.

Blessed to have both sets of grandparents living in Rivers, Mel would frequent his Grandma Birdie Harvey’s house on the way home from school. In the front door and out the back … he would happily continue on his way home with a freshly baked cookie in his hand … and of course his favourite, an oatmeal cookie with date filling! Only a grandma would know the way to her grandson’s heart!

Supported by his family, grandparents and community friends, it was apparent when Mel was a young child that he had a keen interest and ability to play any sport, and particularly baseball. Just a youngster, he and his Rivers teammates captured the Winnipeg Free Press Cup. Slightly younger in his age group (and a fond remembrance) Mel would soon be picked up by Oak River in the summertime when their team was preparing for playoffs. Here, he enjoyed getting to know Oak River players and their families as he would spend a couple of weeks each summer with them. Interestingly, son Brad and son Jeff Shaw (Harvey and Jan Shaw) have coached together in Brandon and supported their sons’ hockey from a younger age group through keeping score for their boys’ high school hockey league.

Throughout his Rivers Collegiate days, Mel played both volleyball and basketball. There was considerable rivalry between division schools including Minnedosa! While attending Brandon University, he became a member of the BU Bobcats Basketball Team coached by Gary Howard, a coach Mel greatly admired. It was the draw of university basketball that shaped his decision to teach high school math, physics, and phys ed as well as coach high school volleyball, curling and basketball.

Mel’s teaching career in public school spanned almost 35 years. High school sweethearts, and married in 1970, he and his wife Alexis (Lex), began their teaching careers together in Souris Valley School Division at Wawanesa. What a busy seven years it was! While class sizes in the Collegiate were smaller, coaching sports teams and travelling to other division schools and tournaments on weekends left little time for other activities. Meanwhile Alexis had both 36 and 39 Language Arts students in grades 5 and 6! Teaching friend, Sonia Derkach, thankfully assisted with one grade 5 reading group.

During his later high school years and after, Mel played hardball with the Rivers Comets (ages from 16 to 20). The Rivers Comets (1964 to 1969) were later inducted into the Morden Baseball Hall of Fame in 2012. As mentioned at the Hall of Fame celebrations, June 2012, the Comets won the south central league five times and lost in the finals another year.

From 1972 to 1976, Mel also enjoyed playing ball with the Brandon Cloverleafs. In 1974, the Cloverleafs represented MB in the nationals in North Battleford. The testosterone and adrenalin were flowing when the Brandon Cloverleafs bus hit the highway for North Battleford! An unforgettable weekend in Mel’s playing career! Meanwhile, his rather shy wife was quickly immersed in "ball culture and the lives of proud and fierce ball player wives"! There would be some things about that weekend that neither of us would ever forget.

Ready for a change, it was time for some kind of move and perhaps a teacher exchange. Mel’s Aunt Lillian who had come to Canada as an Australian war bride, often encouraged us to think about visiting Australia. In the meantime, we frequently visited Alberta and were very fond of the central AB area and its closeness to both Calgary and Edmonton. After a number of interviews on a May 1977 long weekend, it was decided that the growing town of Innisfail, AB would become our new home. Mel would serve as Math/Science Dept. head at Innisfail Junior Senior High school (a student population of 800). Little did we know that our "new family to be", our dear neighbours as well as teacher friends in both elementary and jr/sr high school would immensely shape the remainder of married and family life. The Mel Harvey family had already begun to put their roots down!

Our next chapter would soon be the joyous and memorable arrival of our children, Brad (December 1978) and his sister Alysa (September 1982). And an amazing chapter is was and continues to be! Brad enjoyed his many little friends up and down the block before attending John Wilson School. He still remembers his Grade 3 teacher Miss Anderson. She had a pretty cool car! Alysa was just turning five when we returned to MB and she was Brad’s little shadow. She very much wanted a cat for her fourth birthday and so she got her wish! The Hydro guys just happened to be working behind our house and what did they kindly pass over the fence? A stray yellow ginger kitten! The rest was history! Family friendships in Innisfail were cemented and continue to this day as Mel and Lex have watched each other’s children and friends grow and mature while establishing careers and families.

Summer ball continued for Mel during the late 80s. Dennis Wiebe contacted Mel about playing ball in the Western Canadian Twilite Championship in Kindersley, SK with the Giroux As from southern MB. The hamlet of Giroux was well known for their baseball team in MB. Would Mel be able to catch for the team? The rest was history. Great memories were made as the MB team swept up three Western Canadian Championships between 1988 and 1992. The team was inducted into the MB Baseball Hall of Fame Special Team category. A remarkable group of hardball players who had mostly been playing since their childhood years! Lasting friendships were made. The Giroux Club will be hosting their annual golf tournament July 10 and will be paying their respects to Mel.

On return to MB to be closer to aging parents in 1987 (10 years after spent in Innisfail), was a big move for Alysa and Brad. They adapted and made many good friends including the Taylor and McFadden families. Both families have been our rock these past few weeks. Most memorable for Alysa and Brad were the numerous camping trips to Lake Katherine and Moon Lake with the Bazins, Vints, McFaddens and the Taylor family. We were the fifth wheel so to speak, and we were heartily welcomed. Wilf’s early morning run to the White House Bakery in town for cinnamon buns still remains to be a favourite memory.

Mel’s full time retirement was not about to end. While he had more time to enjoy early morning golf with his lifelong friend, Wilf Taylor, he had an interest in learning how to prepare taxes so he could work during tax season. After several years of preparing taxes for Liberty Tax Brandon (owned by Bill and Marilyn Blair, later son Sean) he stepped back. He really enjoyed the camaraderie of the Blair family, Mandy’s Uncle Derek and many staff and all his clients.

Over the years, Mel has continued to prepare taxes for numerous local community and family members. In response to interests in the "newcomer" community that Alexis was closely connected to, she encouraged Mel to help Minnedosa’s Ukrainian community with their questions and tax claims, many who have settled here over the past 15 years. All such wonderful, hardworking people, Mel and Lex were recently rejoicing that a brother/sister duo formerly from Ukraine (trained dentists in their homeland) will soon be working in Canada … a process that has taken them 12 years to complete. Not an easy feat as both have had to live in Toronto and Calgary in order to bridge their credentials. And that has meant leaving their Minnedosa families behind. Mel and Alexis were so proud of them not to mention all the other Ukrainian family members who have come to Minnedosa.

A significant highlight in Mel’s retirement years has been the opportunity this past nine years to spend mostly mornings teaching high school math at Odanah Colony. Invited by school principal, Chris Stahl, to consider a part time position, Mel never looked back! A little bit of heaven on earth at this pastoral setting just minutes away from Minnedosa. Their kindness to our family and the many friendships Mel formed with teachers, students and their families was so rejuvenating. It was with some reluctance that Mel made the decision to retire from teaching at the colony.

Regrettably, his long-time golfing buddy Wilf passed away in April 2024. Good friend, Daniel Kim was looking forward to summer golfing with Mel upon his return from Korea this July.

Last but not least, Mel leaves behind his much loved children, Alysa and Brad, and their partners, Terry Ferguson and Mandy Harvey as well as his five lively grandchildren! This includes Danika, Ty and Jace Ferguson (Thompson, MB) as well as Leah and Logan Harvey (Brandon, MB). As Grandma Lex has often said, "Grandpa/Papa Mel has a direct line in his heart to all of his close family members and grands!" Mel was able to enjoy many of his children and grandchildren’s successes whether it be personal interests or participation in community sports activities or Mecca Junior Theatre. He was so very proud of you all and you know it.

There are so many life events in the Mel Harvey family that we will recall from sunnier days. A kind, affectionate and loving husband and father, as a wonderful Grandpa who played and teased the grands until their mothers disapproved. Fond brother of Brent (Sharon) and sister, Lynn Handregan (Winnipeg), and brother-in-law to Dennis and Jeanette Lean (Edmonton). Predeceased by his brother-in-law Dermie Handregan. Uncle to so many Handregan, Harvey and Lean nieces and nephews. He loved you all! The senior Harvey clan were most fortunate to enjoy many trips to Mexico including Playa del Carmen and Los Cabos as well as Emma Lake, SK. Mel Harvey was living his best life, and his family members are grateful that he has had a good life. Married 56 years on July 4, Lex will be raising a glass to you, Mel. Love you forever.

The tri-annual Harvey family reunion that used to be held just a short distance from the Harvey homestead (hosted by Jack and Dorothy Hart’s farm just west of Rivers) gave younger and older folks a chance to catch up and bond. Alysa and Brad and the entire Harvey family will be thinking back on those good times for many years to come. It seemed appropriate at our last few Harvey reunions that Mel, with Ron Harvey’s help, would manage the William and Sarah Scholarship Fund. The bursary is presented by Rolling River School Division to a promising high school graduate student considering a career in agriculture at community college or university level. For those who might care to make a donation in memory of Mel, please refer to the link posted on White's Funeral Home. www.whitesfh.ca

As published in Brandon Sun on Jul 11, 2026