Jimmy L. Harvey

Jimmy L. Harvey

12/3/1939 - 11/15/2025

Memorial service to be held on December 13, 2025 at 1:00 pm in the Chapel of White Family Funeral Home of Bowie, Texas. Burial to follow in the Newport cemetery at about 3 o'clock pm. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the International Mission Board in Richmond, VA, or Open House Ministries in Vancouver, WA.

Born in Wichita Falls, Texas on December 3, 1939, Jim experienced new birth during VBS at his grandparents' country church when he was nine.He received his k-12 education in a variety of Texas schools and felt a call to preach as an early teen in Downtown Baptist church in Wichita Falls. To prepare for ministry, he attended Howard Payne College (now University) and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and afterward served as pastor of First Baptist of Lawn, Texas and Trinity Baptist in Sweetwater, Texas. Through most of this time, Jim enjoyed serving among faithful Texans, never seriously considering living or doing ministry anywhere besides Texas.

All that changed when he was influenced by the preaching of Bill O'Brien and Keith Parks at the 1971 Texas Baptist Convention. He immediately felt convicted that the many people in the 5th most populous nation in the world should hear the good news about Jesus and that he could be a messenger to them. God opened a door for Jim and his family to move to Java to work among an amazing missionary family and equally noteworthy local followers of Christ. Lay leaders in those two Texas churches were surely part of the reason the children were eager to go be missionaries, too.

When medical problems brought Jim and his family back to the United States, amid prayers of fellow missionaries and national believers, we wondered whether God still had a place for us to serve, but in God's amazing and merciful Providence, a church in California issued a call that provided far plenty of opportunity for fruitful service, first in that rapidly growing church alongside younger pastor, Rob Zinn, then in the Baptist Sunday School Board (now Lifeway,) the Hawai'i Pacific Baptist Convention, and finally, the Northwest Baptist Convention. Along the way he also enjoyed interim pastorates at South Hill Baptist in Puyallup and Mountain Highway Baptist Church. After his retirement from the Northwest Baptist Convention, Jim spent a few years pastoring the Evergreen Baptist Church in Vancouver, Washington near his home.

After that last retirement, Jim suffered from the growing scourge of disappearing memory for several years during which his wife, Elaine, was able to care for him. Eventually his children were able to convince them to move into an independent living community, and they chose Virginia to be closer to elder daughter, Jennifer. He lived for some months in a nearby memory care facility, but was brought back to their apartment when he was confined to bed under hospice care. Even in his brokenness (and sometimes unpredictability,) Jim was often described as sweet and appreciative.

The people who miss him most (besides Elaine) are five grown children, Gregory W. Harvey (Jennifer D.,) Jeffrey N. Harvey (Shirley,) Jason F. Harvey (Celeste D.,) Jennifer H. Messer (Jonathan D,) and Amanda Harvey. Their children , Jim's treasured grandchildren, include Nathan Harvey (Naomi,) Sara H. Ashley (Jeffrey,) Nathaniel Alben, Joshua Messer, Emerson (aka Kelsey) Conley (John,) Aly Harvey, Timothy L Harvey, Joel Messer, Caitlin Roach, Sophia Harvey, and Mia Roach. In addition, Nate and Naomi have been blessed with (and blessed their grandparents with): Obadiah, Sabina, and Timothy, with another little blessing expected in March.

Jim was preceded in death by parents Lewis and Lydia Harvey, sister Pat Keeney, niece Debra Brewer, two maternal uncles and their wives, and three paternal aunts and husbands. Through those dear departed he continued to love the company of niece Wendy Bradshaw (Roy) and their children and grandsons, nephew Patrick Keeney (Nancy,) Cousins Melva Hodges (Jim,) Beth Hoover (Richard,) Claudene Griffith (William,) Brenda Berrier, Wanda Petway, Sandra Jordan (Mitch,) and their progeny.

Jim also regarded Elaine's cousin, Richard R. Rogers (Marilyn) as a beloved brother, along with their four children and eight grandchildren. The officiating preacher for Jim's memorial service, Randolph R. Rogers, is one of their children. In lieu of flowers please make donations to International Mission Board in Richmond Virginia or Open House Missionaries in Vancouver, Washington.