Obituary of Harvey E. Maier Jr.

Harvey Edwin Maier, Jr. passed away peacefully with his beloved wife by his side in Rochester, NY, at age 87. Cherished husband of Barbara-Ann Mattle; devoted father of Joye Hehn (Stuart Cipollone) of Birmingham, AL and Kimberly Langston (Billy III) of Lakeland, FL; brother of James Maier (Dianne) of Rochester, MN and sister Julie Clark (George) of The Villages, FL; also survived by brother-in-law William Mattle (Shirlee) of Singer Island, FL, and many nieces and nephews

Born in Gig Harbor, WA on March 3, 1938, Harvey lived a full life marked by quiet strength, intellectual curiosity, a wonderful sense of humor, and an unwavering devotion to the people and principles he held dear.

Harvey grew up in Yakima and earned his first degree in Opera from the University of Washington. He went on to earn additional master’s degrees in music and in Education at the University of Southern Mississippi.

Harvey served in the United States Army stateside and abroad in Germany. Though he rarely spoke of his service, those who knew him understood, and the awards and decorations he earned were points of deep personal pride.

In 1970 Harvey, following a calling, enrolled in seminary at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology. While at Chandler, he served as associate pastor at Snellville United Methodist Church and Haygood United Methodist Church. Upon graduation he was ordained into the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church and went on to serve as associate minister at Hollywood Hills United Methodist Church and First United Methodist Church of Pompano Beach, and as senior pastor at First United Methodist Church of Moore Haven, Highland United Methodist Church in Tampa and First United Methodist Church of Largo. The number of lives he touched during these years and the ripple effects is immeasurable.

He moved to Rochester, New York in the late seventies where he met and married Barbara-Ann Mattle, the love of his life, and celebrated more than 45 years of marriage. Together they served the Childcare Council, which Barbara-Ann helped establish and grow. During his tenure there, Harvey was instrumental in negotiating paternity leave with major employers before this was an
accepted practice, fostered the development of onsite childcare for working parents, and furthered his passion for recycling by running the Council’s Recycling Shop.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m. on August 23rd at St. Ann’s Chapel on Portland Avenue.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Peace of Christ Parish or to Florida United Methodist Youth Camps.