Each grandchild of Dr. Harvey Williams has a distinct,
treasured memory of him. Picking blackberries from his
garden. Watching “Star Wars.” Filling out old medical charts
at his practice. Sitting on his lap, listening to stories of
leprechauns in Ireland. Receiving a crisp $10 for every
birthday.
But most of all, they remember the family reunions, like the
one held June 11. On the 90 degree day, about 60 of his
children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren gathered in
Fairfax for diving competitions in the pool, a massive game
of whiffle ball and lots of food.
“It’s always amazing when we can come back like this,” said
granddaughter Liesl Wegand, a nursing student. “You’re
surrounded by people who love you, just having a barbeque on
a Saturday afternoon.”
“Being part of this family, it never gets old,” said grandson
Ryan Barnes, an accountant from New Jersey. “Keeps getting
younger, I think.”
From Chicago to Woodbridge
Harvey, 83, was born in Chicago, the seventh of 12 children
and the first to complete college. He worked in his brother’s
funeral home to pay for his education and finished school in
three years. Harvey said he decided to become a doctor after
seeing his friends’ career paths. “Heck, if they are pre-med
then I can be too,” he said.
For undergraduate and medical school, Harvey attended Loyola
University Chicago, where he met his wife, Joan. They were
married after the first year of medical school and Joan left
the program to raise their growing family.
After interning in the area, Harvey joined the U.S. Army, and
was stationed at the Pentagon, permanently settling the
family in Northern Virginia. After leaving the Army, Harvey
commuted every day to his practice in Woodbridge from the
family home in Annandale, where he still lives with his wife,
his daughter, Sue Reilly, her husband and their 11 children.
Unbeknownst to Harvey, Joan and her doctors, the headaches
Joan experienced were symptoms of a deadly brain tumor. She
died unexpectedly at age 35, just 13 days after giving birth
to the couple’s 10th child.
The year she died was a very difficult one for the family.
Eventually, the aunt of one of Havey’s patients came and
lived with them, helping things run smoothly until Harvey
remarried.
Harvey met his second wife, Anne, on a blind date via a
matchmaking priest. “My persuasive powers are beyond compare
(that) I could talk someone into marrying me with 10
children,” said Williams.
He and Anne were married in 1970 and went on to have five
more children, bringing the total to 15. In age order, their
names are Meg, Harvey, Jennifer, Karen, Theresa, Catherine,
Rose, Rita, Franny, Joan, James, Sue, Elizabeth, Nancy and
John Paul.
Harvey has been a parishioner of St. Michael Church in
Annandale since 1960 and all of his children attended the
school. In his mid-40s, he joined Opus Dei, a prelature of
the church, which guided him through the “trials of life. I
don’t know what would’ve happened to me without it,” he said.
Later this summer, Harvey will become the proud
great-grandfather of his 100th and 101st descendant.
101 supporters
The extended Williams family seemed to agree upon three
things – that it can be difficult remembering everyone’s
names, that there is much joy in being part of a big family
and that Williams is a steadfast supporter of them all.
“My favorite thing about him (is that) as we grew into
adults, even though there’s so many of us, he’s so committed
to our own individual success,” said Liesl. She remembers
that when first deciding to go to nursing school, her
grandfather sat down with her one-on-one to talk about her
options.
“His prayers and love and support are incredible,” said his
son-in-law, Dan Callahan, father of his own 14 children.
“He’s the backbone of the family.”
Pictured: Dr. Harvey Williams, longtime pitcher of the
family whiffle ball game, staying in the action even from
the sidelines.Not pictured: His 101 descendants.
http://bit.ly/1Un0R9SPosted by Arlington
Catholic Herald on Friday, June 17, 2016
Rose Bivens, a mother of four, has often been inspired by her
father’s parenting. “He always taught us to rally around the
one that was hurting,” she said. “If someone in the family
would approach him with their troubles, he wouldn’t divulge
what the trouble was, but he would say something very casual
(to me) like, ‘Have you talked to Franny lately? Maybe you
should give her a call.'”
Besides supporting them himself, Harvey has given them each
other. When Rose couldn’t afford a crib or new coat, there
was always a sibling who had one she could borrow. They
experienced phases of life together, like when Rose, Franny
and Joan got married within a year and a half of each other,
or when Rose and Rita had children at the same time.
In addition to summer reunions, the Williams family gathers
every Christmas for a lively gift swap. Last year, the sheer
number of her family members amazed even Rose. “I said, ‘Dad,
look what you created.’ But only through the grace of God.”
