Obituary of Harvey F. Holley

September 24, 1923 – January 23, 2020

Harvey F. Holley. Age 96 of Allen Park.

Beloved husband of the late Sylvia.  Loving father of Andrea (Mark) Piegza and Sally (Mike) McLellan.  Also survived by 4 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren.  Preceded in death by daughter, Kathleen and brothers, James, Robert and Donald.

Family Tribute 

Harvey was the second of 4 sons born to James and Margaret Holley in an age where only a few neighbors had a telephone and folks gathered around a radio to listen to stories. As a youngster, he loved baseball and played on the "Bees" team. In the biggest game of the season, Harvey, the smallest of both teams, came up to bat with bases loaded. He had struck out on his previous at-bats, but this time, he had a plan. The pitch came...Harvey began swinging that bat as soon as it left the pitcher's hand. Yup, you guessed it. A hard hit...and the run came in. The Bees won and little Harvey was the star!! Harvey loved the game of baseball and could often be found cheering on the Detroit Tigers, always a loyal fan, even in the "rebuilding" years. 

He graduated from Wyandotte Roosevelt High School just as World War II stunned the world. He enlisted and left for boot camp and boarded the train at the Oak Street Station, right there. He was a scrappy guy. He said they stood in line and got all their injections. He watched as many of the big guys passed right out! Because of having a lazy eye, he did not qualify for action. Instead, he became a morse code operator and was stationed in Spain, Italy, and France. 

Harvey and Sylvia married on August, 9th as the last couple to marry in the "Portable" Glenwood United Methodist Church in Wyandotte. Eventually, they bought their home in Allen Park. Harvey worked at Great Lakes Steel but continued taking classes at night, education was always important to him. Harvey and Sylvia loved to travel and journeyed to many places with the Nomads group. Harvey could speak at length of their many adventures together. If the two weren't traveling, they were out golfing either with each other some of their wonderful golf friends. 

As their family grew, Andrea Margaret and Sally Gwen were blessed to have parents who cherished them. By their example, we learned to work hard, to forgive, to love and have faith.

Memorial contributions are appreciated to Salvation Army.