Thomas Harvey, 92 of Vero Beach, FL passed away January 23, 2026.

He was born in Washington, D.C. and lived on a farm in Fairfax County, Va. He attended Herndon High School. The summer of 1950 he attended Virginia Boys State. He graduated from high school in 1951 with a diploma in Academic Course.

He worked for six months in electrical construction for Anderson Electric Co. before returning to farming.

In 1953 he was inducted into the Army and he received basic training in heavy weapons at Camp Atterbury, Indiana. He was transferred to Fort Carson, Colorado where he rose to the rank of Corporal and section leader of the Machine gun platoon and received Mountain Climbing training on the Continental Divide. He was discharged in May 1955.

He attended Oregon State University from 1955 to 1959 under the G.l. Bill and held three jobs while attending classes. In the summers between college years he worked as an assistant Hydraulic Engineer for the Corps of Engineers at Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River and as a dish washer/cook on a dude ranch in eastern Oregon. He graduated in 1959, earning a degree in Business and Technology, with a Minor in Industrial Arts and Building Construction.

Upon graduation he worked for five months as an Auto Insurance Underwriter for United Pacific Insurance Company. In November 1959 he went to work with the United States Department of Agriculture as a Warehouse Examiner, which he did for nine years, a job that took him over most of the country. While on the road he studied law by correspondence and in 1968 he received his degree in Law and Procedure from LaSalle Extension University of Chicago.

In 1967 he went to USDA headquarters in Washington, D.C. to work in ASCS with the P.L. 480 program. In 1972 he transferred to the Foreign Agricultural Service where he worked with various foreign governments in administrating the sale of foods under the P.L 480 Program.

A boater and owner of several sailboats and power boats, he joined the Northern Virginia Power Squadron in 1973. He took U. S. Power Squadron courses and obtained grade of Junior Navigator. In 1980 he started working his way up on the bridge and in 1989-1990 he served as Commander. He was a member in the Fort Lauderdale Power Squadron from 1990 to 1998, where he was an instructor for the Public Boating Course. Since coming to Vero Beach, he has been a member of the Vero Beach Power Squadron. For his service to the USPS he has earned 21 Merit Marks.

Retiring in 1990 from USDA he went to work for the Mills Corporation at Sawgrass Mills, Sunrise, Fl. as a security guard and training officer and lived in Sunrise, Fl. In 1997 he was recognized for outstanding service in promoting tourism and awarded a Courtesy Award by the Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce. He retired from the Mills Corporation in June 1998 and moved to Vero Beach, Fl.

In November 1998, he joined the Indian River Sheriffs Civilian Service Unit. He has been a training officer for the CSU unit and a Special Deputy Sheriff up until the time of his death.

He had been a lifetime member of the Methodist Church and a member of First Methodist Church since moving to Vero Beach.

Survivors include his wife Lura V. Harvey; daughter Amy Carol Schlossberg of Port St. Lucie, FL; son Michael K. Harvey of Madison, CT and five grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches.

Funeral Services will be held at 10am, Wednesday, January 28, 2026 at Cox-Gifford Seawinds Funeral Home with Rev. Becky Glass-Calahan, First Methodist Church of Vero Beach as Officiant.

Interment with Military Honors will be held at South Florida National Cemetery at 1PM on Wednesday, February 4, 2026.

Arrangements are under the direction of Cox-Gifford Seawinds Funeral Home.

An online guestbook is available at CoxGiffordSeawinds.com