W. A. "Al" Harvey, Jr., 81, of Newberry died Friday, November 24, 2023 at his residence.

Born on August 15, 1942 in Fairfax, SC, he was a son of the late Wildrum Alfred Sr. and Lottie Elizabeth Wilson Harvey, and the late Joe and Lucille Mills, with whom he lived for several formative years.

Al received his Master of Public Administration from the University of South Carolina, and served as the City Manager for the City of Newberry for 28 years. When he retired in 2016, he was awarded the Key to the City by the Newberry City Council.

While Al was an accomplished and well-known public servant, serving on many Boards and Associations, his true passions were being with family and making memories. There wasn't a day that went by where "Papa" didn't put his family first. The foundation of his love for family started with his marriage to Penny, "Grammy" and how much he loved her. They started dating in eighth grade. In later years, they were inseparable, caring for one another and enjoying visits with friends and family. Papa organized family traditions around his passions, including quarterly birthday celebrations, and the highlight of everyone's summer, a week at Edisto Beach. While these traditions began small, they grew over 30 years to a full week's itinerary at Edisto that included sunrises with coffee, learning to cook "beach grits" for breakfast, shelling adventures at Botany Bay, and guided tours of the island to learn about SC history.

There wasn't a beer he ever drank that he didn't enjoy or a place in South Carolina where he didn't know every detail of the history behind it. Al also loved sharing good food and hunting with friends. Working for the city for so many years allowed him to meet dear friends from all over the state. It was rare for him to go out without running into a friend. It was well known that Al was a "food snob" and would travel for hours to try a restaurant he had read about. If you ever shared a meal with him, part of the conversation was always about what the next meal would be. He loved being outside, especially to hunt deer or duck, but was not particular about what the hunt was for. Al took part in many wild game dinners, the perfect intersection of friends, food, and hunting stories.

He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Shirley Ann "Penny" Kerwin Harvey of Newberry, daughter, Shellie Cochcroft of Gilbert; son, Jason Harvey (Marci) of Clemmons, NC; grandchildren Jason Cochcroft (Whitney) of Gilbert, Amanda Tench (Bradan) of Anderson, Kathryn Keisler (Kenny) of Gilbert, Reece Harvey and Camryn Harvey of Clemmons, NC; great-grandchildren Madi and Maddox Tench, and Max and Tyson Cochcroft; a brother, Don Harvey (Dot) of Allendale; sister-in-law Gail Harvey, and several nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by his brother, Ray Harvey.

Services will be held at 3pm Friday, December 1, 2023 at Central United Methodist Church. The family will receive friends immediately following the service.

Memorials are suggested to Central United Methodist Church or the Edisto Island Historic Preservation Society in memory of Al Harvey.

Memories and messages may be shared with the family here on his tribute wall.

Whitaker Funeral Home is honored to serve the Harvey family.