After love of her life died, senior's move to Austin has been filled with pain, sorrow

They met at a dance.

And it was love at first twirl.

Not because of Larry Harvey’s moves on the dance floor, mind you. After all, Sheri Treichel, his beloved wife of 53 years, said, “Larry had two left feet.”

That notwithstanding, he quickly asked her out on a date after that memorable first meeting on the dance floor at an amusement park on the shores of Lake Michigan. Her family did their research.

And even though both of their dads worked at the same creamery in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park and didn’t even get along that well, a buddy of her father's gave the clumsy dancer “a good rating,” and Larry and Sheri were an immediate match.

“We got to know each other, and he still wanted to marry me,” Sheri Harvey joked. She’s now a feisty, 79-year-old widow.

The Harvey’s marriage was a love affair that stood until they moved to South Carolina and Larry lost a kidney and battled four episodes of colon and kidney cancer before he finally died from the disease in June 2016 at age of 76.

Since his death, Sheri Harvey moved to Austin to be close to their only child, Scott, but it’s been a calamitous time for the Harveys. They are one of 11 families that are part of the Statesman’s annual Season for Caring program., which helps the featured families first and then helps hundreds of others through local nonprofit organizations. The Harveys were nominated by AGE of Central Texas, a nonprofit organization that assists older adults and their caregivers.

Read more: Season for Caring, Sheri Harvey: Chronic pain, diabetes, debt have made senior years difficult

Scott Harvey, 52, lost almost his entire income in real estate for two years during the pandemic. They now have medical bills and other back payments totaling more than $20,000.

Sheri Harvey has had chronic back pain from severe arthritis of the spine and diabetes. She has gone through major operations on her shoulder and ankle, and has fought that back pain since she was 18.

Sheri Harvey has kept her positive spirit despite being shuttled between four different care facilities that she can barely afford. She needs help with housing and with transportation to doctors and pain specialists. Scott Harvey, who recently was evicted and now lives in a tiny Airbnb, needs more secure housing for himself.

Through it all, Sheri Harvey has maintained a strong attitude and a will to persevere. She remains buoyed by her son’s devotion and her heartfelt memories of her husband.

“He was the most wonderful man you could ever have had,” Sheri Harvey said of her husband. “He was the joker of our group. He was funny, and he would do anything for me. If I asked him to stand on his head in the corner, he’d do it for me.”

Larry Harvey spent some time in the Army, worked at a grocery store and finally found his calling in the savings and loan business. After he quit that job, he and Sheri visited friends in South Carolina and moved there, where she became a Clemson University administrator in the career center and he eventually became a regional director. They both retired from their jobs on the same day.

“They went for a visit there in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, which are just lovely,” Scott Harvey said. “They fell in love with the place.”

Learn more: How to help families through the Statesman Season for Caring program

The couple took regular vacations, never went on a cruise they didn’t love, and Sheri went to painstaking detail to plan their trips to London, Quebec, Scotland, Paris and Hawaii, which was her all-time favorite getaway. She and several of her high school girlfriends even sneaked in a cruise to the Caribbean.

“We had the time of our lives in Alaska,” Sheri said of the couple’s trip there. “We saw everything. Whales, you name it. But I was just in awe when we went to Hawaii. It was so majestic.”

She meticulously detailed every single adventure and chronicled them all in scrapbooks that she remembers fondly.

“We would always just take a holiday and go someplace,” she said with a gleam in her eye.

Now the mother and son need help just living in secure housing. They also need help with geriatric care management, legal eviction advice and a financial adviser.

Sheri needs new clothing. The community has started to fulfill some of her wishes, including for some incontinence products, probiotics and a foldable power scooter. Sheri still needs a foldable wheelchair and a foldable walker.

Sheri and Scott Harvey love to read and have numerous books on their Amazon wish list as well as a neck lamp.

To find out more about the Harvey family or to make a donation to their wish list, contact AGE of Central Texas, 512-649-2211, ageofcentraltx.org.

How to donate to Season for Caring

Find the daily coupon in print on Page 2B or go to statesman.com/seasonforcaring.

Now through Christmas Day, $500,000 in donations will be matched by the Sheth family.

P. Terry's Giving Back Day, with all profits going to Season for Caring, is today.

The Driskill hotel's Cookies for Caring cookie tins are on sale at exploretock.com/thedriskillaustin.

To donate:Use the form below or click here: https://statesmansfc.kimbia.com/statesmanseasonforcaring.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Season for Caring, Family Eldercare recipient at a loss after husband's death