Harvey D. Harts

Harvey D. Harts, 91, passed away at The Piper Assisted Living and Memory Care in Kansas City, KS on January 26, 2019, surrounded by loving family, joining his loving wife Nancy.

Harvey was born in Ellsworth, KS on April 10, 1927, the son of Oscar and Mabel (White) Harts.  He grew up on the Rocky Springs ranch with his many siblings “down the old Oxide Road”, where he learned many skills that helped him in his career and in life.

After graduating from Ellsworth High School in 1946, he left the farm and worked for a contracting company in the construction of the Kanopolis Dam. A few years later he joined the Northern Natural Gas Company. After two years in the Army serving in the Korean War, he returned to his home of Ellsworth, and continued working at Northern Natural Gas Company, finishing out a 38-year career. While at Northern, he started working as an Oiler, was promoted many times and finished as a Master Mechanic.

He met a Lorraine girl, the love of his life, Nancy Ann Schroeder and they later married on January 7, 1956. Shortly thereafter, Harvey and Nancy welcomed a daughter, Becky, and a son, Terry. They enjoyed more than a 55-year marriage. 

Throughout his life, Harvey enjoyed many hobbies and activities. These included camping, motorcycle touring, auto mechanics, Ham radio operator and civic weather watching for the Police Department. One of his other favorite activities, which he continued until almost 90 years of age, was clock repair, where he traveled extensively to pick up and repair clocks. While clearly under-charging for his work, his passion for clock repair far outweighed the monetary reward!

Harvey was preceded in death by his wife Nancy in 2011 and by his parents, 3 sisters and 4 brothers.

“Paca”, as he was affectionately known by his grandchildren, is survived by his daughter, Becky Anderson, and her husband, Denny of Missoula, MT; son, Terry Harts, and his wife, Annie, of Manhattan, KS; grandchildren, Karly (Kyle) Shafer of Missoula, MT, Alex Anderson of Missoula, MT, Dalton Harts, of Brooklyn, NY, and Anna Harts of Manhattan, KS.  Great-grandchildren are Levi and Taelyn Shafer of Missoula, MT.  Harvey is also survived by his brother Roger (Doris) Harts of Cleburne, TX and numerous nieces and nephews

Harvey will be remembered for his love of family, Ellsworth, traveling the country to visit grandkids, his inability to sit still, his incredible patience with his grandkids, and his colorful stories that he told that could never be proved or disproved!

The family would like to thank The Piper Assisted Living staff for their wonderful love and appreciation of Harvey, especially Vivian Union and the Armourdale team, as well as Catholic Charities Hospice. 

A celebration of life will be held in the spring, when Harvey would have celebrated his 92nd birthday. Further details will be disclosed at a later date. 

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to either Meadowlark Fund, c/o Memory Program or Catholic Charities Hospice in care of Signature Funerals at 406 E. Bannister Road, Suite D, Kansas City, MO 64131.

Dad, we hope you’re up there “still kickin’” and that you’re showing off your one-legged squats!  We miss you already.