ROCHESTER, N.Y. – At Rishard Harvey’s memorial service, his big brother, Reverend Rickey Harvey Jr., called his little brother a nerd with a profound love of learning. Rickey delivered the stirring eulogy, relating memories of Rishard’s penchant for sharing arcane trivia about everything from kangaroos to fossils found in Antarctica.
“I always vacillated between being annoyed to incredibly impressed,” Rickey Jr., said chuckling. That love of learning inspired Rishard’s family to create a college scholarship in his name.
More than 600 people gathered at Mount Olivet Baptist Church in Rochester Saturday to celebrate Rishard’s life. The event was described as a celebration rather than a memorial service.
Rishard Harvey died in a single-car crash in Virginia on July 20. He was 21 years old. Harvey was the son of Yvonne Harvey and Rev. Dr. Rickey Harvey, a community leader and pastor of Mount Olivet.
“When a faith leader, especially one like Dr. Harvey, who is always there for people, he’s a grounding force in this community something like this happens, it tears at the fabric of the community,” said Jamila Evans, a family friend and public relations coordinator for Mount Olivet Baptist church. “The sun doesn’t shine quite as brightly when you lose a child, but especially one like Rishard Harvey.”
Friends and family shared memories of the college senior during the three-and-a-half-hour service filled with tears and laughter.
Rishard graduated from Brighton High School, and Brighton’s superintendent, Dr. Kevin McGowan was among the speakers. He was on track to graduate next year with honors from Hampton University. Rishard was a member of the Hampton University Choir and traveled internationally with the group. His university choir director, Omar Dickenson, also spoke at the service, sharing stories about how Rishard supported fellow students.
The Rishard Harvey Memorial fund will be overseen by the staff at Mount Olivet Baptist Church. Click here to donate.
AI assisted with the formatting of this story. Click here to see how WHEC News10NBC uses AI.
Any person with disabilities who needs help accessing the content of the FCC Public file should contact Richard Reingold at rreingold@whec.com or 585-546-1701
This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
© WHEC-TV, LLC
A Hubbard Broadcasting Company
