Alumnus Archpriest John Harvey, 73, fell asleep in the Lord Tuesday, September 11, 2018. Fr. John had served as rector of Sts. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Youngstown, OH for the past eleven years.
Fr. Harvey was born January 21, 1945, in Hollywood, California and was the son of the late Harold and Dorothy Johnson Harvey. He was a 1968 graduate of Duquesne University and of Sts. Cyril & Methodius Seminary in Pittsburgh, and he earned a degree in theology from St. Vladimir’s Seminary in 1970, graduating at the top of his class. Fr. John was ordained a priest September 27, 1974, at St. Andrew Cathedral in Jamaica, NY.
Fr. John taught theology and served many Orthodox parishes throughout America and in Canada before being appointed pastor of Sts. Peter & Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church in 2007. He also served in a number of other capacities. He was dean of the Penn-Ohio Deanery of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the United States of America, spiritual advisor and director of the Teenage Conference at the All-Saints Camp in Emlenton, Pennsylvania, and member and past-president of the Eastern Orthodox Clergy Association of the Mahoning Valley. Additionally, Fr. John was adjunct instructor of Canon Law and Spiritual Theology at St. Sophia’s Seminary. He served on the Board of Trustees of Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC), as rector of St. Sophia’s Seminary, and as a spiritual advisor to the Ukrainian Orthodox League.
Fr. John is survived by his wife of 44 years, Panimatka Deborah R. Johnson Harvey, whom he married September 8, 1974, and his daughter, Irena A. Harvey.
A viewing will be held on Sunday, September 16, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Sts. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church, 1025 North Belle Vista Avenue in Youngstown, OH. A service will then begin at 7 p.m. followed by light refreshments. On Monday, September 17, the funeral service at the church will begin at 10 a.m., followed by a memorial luncheon. Interment will follow at The Orthodox Monastery of the Transfiguration in Ellwood City, PA.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Kinnick Funeral Home, 477 North Meridian Road, Youngstown. In lieu of flowers, Fr. John’s family suggests that donations be made in care of the funeral home to help with final expenses.
May Fr. John’s memory be eternal!
Sections of this article have been reprinted from MyValleyTributes.
