Joseph G. Harvey, longtime truck driver at Wanamaker’s and personal chauffeur for Cardinals John Krol and Anthony Bevilacqua, has died at 91
They called him the Mayor of Aspen Street because he was so helpful and friendly. “He connected with people because he loved them,” his family said.
Joseph G. Harvey, 91, of Philadelphia, longtime delivery truck driver at Wanamaker’s department store, personal chauffeur for Cardinals John Krol and Anthony Bevilacqua, veteran, and church volunteer, died Saturday, July 15, of congestive heart failure at Jefferson Medical Center.
Born in Philadelphia to Irish immigrants, Mr. Harvey embraced his Irish Catholic heritage and used a genial personality and robust work ethic to find interesting jobs and make countless friends. He befriended John Wanamaker, great-grandson of the store’s founder, in 1955 and worked at the iconic Center City location at 13th and Market Streets for 31 years.
He earned an invitation to drive for Cardinals Krol and Bevilacqua in 1986, moved among high Catholic clergy for more than a decade, and met Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. He was interviewed by The Inquirer in 1991 in Rome as Archbishop Bevilacqua was being installed as cardinal and said he and his wife Mary “came in honor of the archbishop and in honor of the importance of the office. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
Mr. Harvey retired in 1998 and became a fixture on the bench outside his home in Fairmount. Known over time as the Mayor of Aspen Street, he engaged with neighbors and passersby, and everyone knew that the man in the University of Notre Dame gear would offer them a drink, invite them inside for a snack, or just shoot the breeze if they felt like it.
He had a rollicking sense of humor, more good tales than he could ever tell, and a gentle empathy that drew folks to him. “My Dad was such a force of nature,” said his son Patrick, “and a larger-than-life character.”
Mr. Harvey played high school basketball with hall of famer Tom Gola at La Salle College High School. He served two years in the Army, was on the base basketball team, and later organized fun weekend excursions to Notre Dame football games.
He became so close to Wanamaker in the 1950s and ‘60s that he was hired for the executive’s personal delivery work. Wanamaker even gave him tickets to the Devon Horse Show and some gently-used custom-tailored business suits.
Mr. Harvey was also friends with the salespeople and elevator operators at Wanamaker’s. He knew the waitresses in the Crystal Tea Room and the organ operator in the Grand Court.
He told stories of seeing John Wayne, Lucille Ball, and other celebrities use the freight elevator on their way upstairs for publicity appearances. His own family still talks of the times he guided them through the wondrous toy department on the eighth floor.
In 1986, after Wanamaker’s was sold, Mr. Harvey was invited to become the personal chauffeur and occasional aide for Cardinal Krol. He drove for Cardinal Bevilacqua after Cardinal Krol retired in 1988 and attended many important church events, including a 1979 Mass in Philadelphia by Pope John Paul II.
He stopped at church almost every day of his life and led hundreds of congregants on church retreats over decades. He arranged to have unused food at Wanamaker’s and other businesses delivered to St. John’s Hospice in Center City.
“He lived his faith through good works,” his family said in tribute. “He helped and served others with a smile, and made all feel good and loved.”
Born May 19, 1932, Joseph Gerald Harvey grew up in Port Richmond and graduated from La Salle High in 1951. He was a surveyor in Newfoundland and Greenland during his two years in the Army.
He met Mary Bradley at a dance in 1956, and they married in 1959. The lived in Juniata Park, Wynnefield, and Fairmount, and had son Patrick and daughters Anne Marie and Mary. His daughter Mary died earlier.
Mr. Harvey was a lifelong college basketball fan, and he worked part-time as a local high school and college referee. He followed politics in Ireland, was active with Irish-related charities, and visited there several times.
He customized his rooftop deck on Aspen Street to feature an impressive model train layout, and his extravagant Christmas lights display made the local TV news almost every year. He laughed a lot, liked practical jokes, and attended to his family with special care.
“If I get to Heaven, I’m sure Joe will be at the gate with St. Peter checking my credentials,” a friend said in a tribute. Mr. Harvey’s family said: “You will live on whenever we tell one of your stories.”
In addition to his wife and children, Mr. Harvey is survived by two grandchildren and other relatives. Three sisters and a brother died earlier.
Services were held Friday, July 21.
Donations in his name may be made to St. John’s Hospice, 1221 Race St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19107.