Home » Passings – Jack Harvey, Local Businessman, and DeeDee Rainbow, Local Color

Passings – Jack Harvey, Local Businessman, and DeeDee Rainbow, Local Color

In November 2013, Fremont lost Dee Dee Rainbow - shown here at the Fremont Fair celebration in 1996.  Photo by Michelle Bates
In November 2013, Fremont lost Dee Dee Rainbow – shown here at the Fremont Fair celebration in 1996. Photo by Michelle Bates

On November 21st, Jack A. Harvey, owner of Hoffner, Fisher & Harvey since 1973, passed away with his family by his side, at age 90.

Born in Seattle to Irish immigrants, Harvey attended Blessed Sacrament Grade School, graduated from St. Martin’s high school and college in Olympia, then graduated in 1947 from the College of Mortuary Science in San Francisco.  In 1953, he joined Hoffner’s Fisher-Kalfus Funeral Home in the Fremont neighborhood.

Harvey worked as a funeral director until 2011, becoming one of the most well-respected and beloved in Seattle as he served area families in their time of need.  Harvey is survived by his six children, including his two sons Joseph Harvey and Thomas Harvey who joined him in owning the business.

A photo of the late Jack Harvey (center) with his sons Joseph and Thomas, from the Harvey Funeral Directors website.
A photo of the late Jack Harvey (center) with his sons Joseph and Thomas, from the Harvey Funeral Directors website.

A vigil service for Jack Harvey will be held at Assumption Catholic Church, the church he attended his whole life, on December 1st at 4p.  A funeral mass will be celebrated on December 2nd at 11a at St. James Cathedral.  Remembrances can be made to Catholic Community Services, the Matt Talbot Center, or St. Mary’s Food Bank.  See the complete Seattle Times obituary on-line.

On November 12th, Dee Dee Rainbow passed away at age 81.  Known for her colorful outfits, love of jazz and outdoor arts festivals – including the Fremont Fair – Ms. Rainbow taught art at Meany Middle School for 29 years, starting in 1963.

Ms. Rainbow chose her name, and it suited her well as she was never seen without her brightly hued attire and accoutrements.  Voted ‘The Second Most Eccentric Person in Seattle’ by the Seattle Weekly, her response was reportedly, ‘How did I fall short?’

A celebration of Ms. Rainbow’s life, including a New Orleans-style funeral march, is scheduled for 1p on January 4th at the University Unitarian Church.  See the complete Seattle Times obituary on-line.