Harvey Newell Summerlin, Sr., age 90, of Devine, Texas passed away Thursday, August 31, 2023 in San Antonio, Texas.
He is preceded in death by his wife of 54 years, Carol Ann (Herring) Summerlin; his father, Giles Smith Summerlin, Sr.; his mother, Mae (Pipkin) Summerlin; and his brother, Giles Smith Summerlin, Jr.
He is survived by his daughter, Mary Kay Moriarty and husband, Cliff of Sachse, Texas; son, Newell Summerlin and wife, Kristi of Devine, Texas; son, Giles Summerlin and wife, Cheryl of Blanco, Texas; brother-in-laws and sister-in-laws, John and Francis Anderson, Martina Herring, and John Herring; six grandchildren, Katie (Moriarty) Orth and husband, Michael; Ainsley (Summerlin) Kelly and husband, Tyler; Keeton (Summerlin) Coleman and husband, Kyle; Tres Summerlin and wife, Stephanie; Sadie (Summerlin) Hilliard and husband, Nathan; Lexie (Summerlin) Hoffman and husband Connor; and ten great-grandchildren, Kathleen and Mary Lou Orth; Jaxon and Haven Kelly; Kolt and Kenna Coleman; Layne and Levi Summerlin; Rhett Hilliard; and Kennedy Hoffman.
Harvey was born in Taylor, Texas on April 8, 1933 to the late Smith and Mae Summerlin. He spent most of his childhood in Thorndale, Texas; then later moved to Del Rio where he graduated from high school. He attended the University of Texas in Austin where he earned his Doctor of Pharmacy. He moved to San Antonio (Alamo Heights) where he worked as a pharmacist, and eventually owned his own pharmacy, Alamo Heights Pharmacy off of Broadway. His love for the University of Texas at Austin held strong even though many of his grandchildren went to “that other University”.
Harvey always had a smile on his face – ALWAYS! He was a gentle, intelligent, creative, and joyful man that had many talents and constantly wanted to learn new things which were mostly self-taught: sailing (by using the stars to navigate), ranching, wood working, metal crafting, rocketry, ham radio, playing instruments, cross-country camping, collecting, and many more. Needless to say, he rarely sat still, unless he was reading and/or researching.
In 1994, he and his wife, Carol, purchased a ranch in Devine because it would be a challenge to him. And if you knew Harvey, you knew that he was born to take on any challenges. At first, it was going to just be a weekend place – a place for him to “tinker”. It didn’t take long for Harvey and Carol to sell their home in Alamo Heights and move to Devine full time. They loved the small-town feel, the open space, and the family oriented community.
If you met him, you already liked him, as his brother-in-law, John Anderson attested. Harvey was a good listener and had a keen sense of humor – he rarely told stories, but would intently listen to those that were talking around him and always added one-liners that kept us all laughing and wanting to hear more. Family and faith were of upmost importance to him, as he once quoted, “Keep a strong faith in the power of love and the family of God, for who knows what tomorrow brings”. His life was an adventure and we were all lucky to be a part of it.
We would like to send a special thanks to his caregivers that spent so much time with him in the last couple of years: Odie, Moy, Ava, Vangie, Maria, Minga, and Sandra. We appreciate you all so much. We also would like to thank Primrose Funeral Home in Devine, Texas; as well as, the doctors and nurses at Metropolitan Methodist Hospital in San Antonio.
We will hold a Celebration of Life at the family ranch (Rose Hill Ranch – 999 County Road 5710) on Saturday, October 14, 2023 in Devine, Texas. Service will be held at 10:00 a.m. Solar Eclipse to be observed in Harvey’s honor followed by a lunch.