Caroline Harvey

September 20, 1938 – December 27, 2024

Caroline Harvey of Swarthmore, PA died on December 27, 2024 at the age of 86. A brilliant and beloved mother, sister, aunt, grandmother, and friend with a lively and generous spirit, she will be remembered for the kindness, wisdom, happiness, and fun that she brought to so many throughout her life.

Caroline (Tinoly) was born on September 20, 1938 in Chicago, Illinois. She graduated from Wells High School in Chicago at the young age of 16, and received a bachelor's degree from DePaul University at 19. A passionate teacher of both history and French, she began her first teaching job at a Catholic girls' high school in Chicago – where, she would say, she was not much older than the students themselves.

In 1961, at age 22, Caroline was inspired by the creation of the U.S. Peace Corps and its call to serve others worldwide. She became one of the program's first volunteers, serving as a teacher in Nigeria, West Africa, from 1961 to 1963. She then became a Peace Corps trainer in New York City from 1964 to 1967, where she helped create guidelines for all future volunteers.

Working in the Peace Corps was a defining experience – one Caroline was always excited to reflect on and discuss. It was through the Peace Corps that she also met her husband, Frank Harvey, originally of Media, PA, in the summer of 1966. Frank was a new Peace Corps volunteer training at Teachers College, Columbia University, and Caroline was one of his trainers. They were married in Ghana, West Africa, where Frank was volunteering, in 1967.

Caroline's life journeys took her to Geneseo, NY; Cambridge, MA; Greensboro, NC; Bethlehem, PA; and Swarthmore, PA. She received a master's degree in education from Lesley College in Cambridge, MA (1973) and a Certificate of Advanced Study from Harvard University in Cambridge (1975), and she took courses toward a master's degree at Columbia University. Deeply interested in children and their development, she became an expert in early childhood education and worked to train early childhood teachers in various settings throughout her career.

Caroline had a lifelong love of film and theater, which led her in her later professional life to become the box office manager at the Pennsylvania Stage Company, a professional theater in Allentown, PA, where many blossoming actors, writers, and directors stopped on their road to broader fame. She was proud to be a part of the theater's mission and reach in the community.

Caroline loved people – and people loved Caroline. She made friends everywhere she went, and made a lasting impression. Known for her warmth, wit, friendliness, and generosity, she loved to laugh and make others laugh. A gifted storyteller, she loved a great conversation, and kept many friends and family members up talking all night. She was someone who stood up for others, and stood up for what was right. Fiercely loyal and immensely proud of her family, she took tremendous joy in raising her two children and later in being a grandma to her two grandchildren, who meant the world to her.

Caroline was preceded in death by her father, Alfred Tinoly; her mother, Theresa Tinoly; her younger brother, Alfred J. Tinoly, of North Barrington, IL; and her husband, Frank Harvey. Survivors include her son, Fran Harvey (Pier) of Redondo Beach, CA; her daughter, Mary Harvey (Greg Bullock) of New York, NY; her sister, Eileen Tinoly of Hoffman Estates, IL; her grandson, Tate Harvey, and granddaughter, Elizabeth Bullock; two sisters-in-law; one nephew and four nieces; and other extended family.

Visitation for friends and relatives will be held 6-8 PM on Friday, January 3, at Rigby Harting & Hagan Funeral Home, 15 E. Fourth St., Media, PA. There will be visitation at 11:30 AM and a prayer service at 12:00 PM on Saturday, January 4, at the funeral home. Burial will follow immediately after at Calvary Cemetery, in Media.

Arrangements: Rigby, Harting & Hagan Funeral Home

15 E. 4th Street, Media, PA