Carol L. Harvey

Carol Lee Harvey, 96, a former librarian at the Wyomissing Public Library, died Saturday, October 18, 2014, at Berks Heim Nursing and Rehabilitation. Born on December 6, 1917, in Arlington, Massachusetts, she was the daughter of the late Joseph L. Harvey and Erma E. (Julian) Harvey.

Carol took great pride in being a resident of the Borough of Wyomissing. After returning to the Reading area from Massachusetts in the early 1920's, the Harvey family moved into one of the first houses built on Dauphin Avenue. Carol loved to visit the new neighborhood as a girl, to watch the mule teams breaking ground on the site of the family's future home- one of her earliest and fondest memories. Carol attended Wyomissing High School, graduating with the class of 1935. There, she participated in the Girl Reserves Club, Le Cercle Français cultural club, and performed in drama productions. She continued her studies at Albright College, where she was a member of the Green Guild Drama Club.

While still in high school, Carol joined the Junior Woman's Club of Wyomissing. She served two terms as Second Vice President, was active in the Dramatics Division, and took part in the planning of cultural presentations, socials, and benefits for local charitable organizations. She also enjoyed acting as a model, or "mannikin", in the group's frequent fashion shows, held at the Iris Club and in the ballroom of the Berkshire Hotel. Carol's participation in the Junior Woman's Club nurtured her life-long interests in theater, literature, interior design and gardening.

During World War II, Carol worked as an employee of the War Price and Rationing Board, and took part in the local victory garden with her family. Soon after, she was hired as Office Manager for Reading Trucks, Incorporated, a position she held until the late 1950's.

Carol was best known in the community for her forty-four year career as a librarian at the Wyomissing Public Library, spanning from 1959, until her retirement in 2003, at the age of 86. She was deeply dedicated to her work, and received her Certificate of Public Librarianship from the Pennsylvania State Library, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Education, in 1974. She also received a certificate from the State Library for completion of a course in children's lIterature in 1967. Carol especially enjoyed working at the main desk, where she greeted patrons and assisted them with catalog searches, and borrowing and returning library materials. She loved recommending books to friends and neighbors. In her later years, her favorite authors included Rosamunde Pilcher and Lillian Jackson Braun.

Carol's passion for interior design was most beautifully expressed in her own home. Her rooms were always exquisitely decorated, especially during the holidays. She had a natural gift for working with color, texture, proportion and composition. She greatly admired the combination of practicality and simple, graceful beauty in the design of the Early American, and 18th Century Colonial periods. As a craftsperson, she enjoyed needlepoint, embroidery, flower arranging, and was especially skilled at crochet.

Flowers were her greatest joy, especially roses. She looked forward to designing and planting her gardens every year, and to showing off the season's blooms to visitors She also loved her gardens for the wildlife they drew, watching for cardinals, robins, and bluejays in the spring, and for the flocks of goldfinches every fall. While a resident of The Highlands at Wyomissing from 2011 to 2014, Carol enjoyed taking part in planting and caring for the outdoor gardens with the staff and community members.

Carol loved to travel. Her favorite destinations included Colonial Williamsburg, Longwood Gardens, and New York City. She regularly attended the new Broadway season's plays and musicals as a member of the Dramatics Division of the Junior Woman's Club. In later years, she had the opportunity to see the original cast production of Phantom of the Opera, starring Sarah Brightman- a lifetime favorite for her.

As a resident of The Highlands, Carol was a very active participant in community programs, including exercise classes, crafts, group games and sing-alongs She was especially known for her quick wit and playful sense of humor. She loved to host guests for lunches, play Bingo with her visitors, and show off the local gardens and wildlife.

In addition to her parents, Carol was pre-deceased by her sister, M. Antoinette (Harvey) Boland of Wyomissing, wife of the late Attorney John V. Boland.

Carol was dearly loved by her family, and will be greatly missed. She is survived by her niece, M. Alison Seward of Lower Alsace Township; her nephew Thomas N. Boland of Flying Hills; her nephew Christopher V. Boland and his wife Joni (Schwambach) Boland of Spring Township, along with three great-nieces, five great-nephews.

Services will be Friday at 10 a.m. in Atonement Lutheran Church, 5 Wyomissing Blvd., Wyomissing, PA 19610. A visitation will be Friday from 9:30 to 10 a.m. in the church. Burial will be in Charles Evans Cemetery at the convenience of the family. Contributions may be made to: Wyomissing Public Library, 9 Reading Blvd., Wyomissing, PA 19610. Edward J. Kuhn Funeral Home, Inc., West Reading is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences may be recorded at www.kuhnfuneralhome.com.