William Eston Harvey, 501 VES Road, Lynchburg, VA, beloved husband of Cecil Conner Harvey, died Thursday, December 28, 2017, at Lynchburg General Hospital.

Born in Oakville, Va., on October 13, 1913, he was the son of William C. Harvey, Jr. and Belle Moss Harvey. He was pre-deceased by his first wife, Lucille Akers Harvey and by brothers, Richard and Alfred.

In addition to his wife, Cecil, he is survived by his daughter, Patricia Turner of Sterling, Va.; two grandchildren, Lisa Quinn (Sherwood) of Richmond and Michael Turner (Rebecca) of Clemson, S.C. Also surviving are stepsons, Jerry Houchens (Joyce), of The Villages, Fla. and William Houchens of Lynchburg; great-granddaughter, Wendy Quinn and great-grandson Drew Turner; three step-grandchildren, Kie VanderHorst (Jeff) of Lexington, Ky., Joseph Houchens of Fountain Inn, S.C., and Phillip Houchens (Schelly) of Greenville, S.C.; and five step-great grandchildren.

Following graduation from Virginia Tech, Dr. Harvey began his career as the agricultural extension agent in Mecklenburg County, Va. In 1949, he received appointment as a Carnegie Fellow to Harvard University, during the course of which he earned master's and doctorate degrees in the field of public administration. In 1953, he joined the U.S. Department of Agriculture, specializing in the international area. At the time of his retirement he was the Director of the International Training Division. During his tenure the division planned and supervised training for approximately five thousand foreign scientists, technicians and administrators per year. In turn, Division staff provided assistance to many of these individuals upon their return to their home countries as they used their U.S. experience to establish training sessions for in-country personnel. These leaders and potential leaders were brought to the U.S. through the sponsorship of the State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the United Nations, various foundations such as Ford and Rockefeller, and through direct country-to-country contractual arrangements. These efforts were aimed to balance the food-population equation in developing countries and also to counter the expansionist attempts of the Soviet Union during the Cold War Era.

After retiring from his government career, Dr. Harvey worked as a private management and policy consultant, assisting staff from a number of developing countries.

He was a recipient of numerous Superior Service awards from the USDA, as well as the Orde Du Merite Agricole from the government of France in recognition of his assistance to improving French agriculture following WW II.

Dr. Harvey was a WWII Navy veteran serving as Officer-in-Charge of a LCT (Landing Craft/Tanks).

He was an active member of Red Oak Baptist Church where he served as deacon, Sunday School teacher and other offices.

He also is, or had been a member of the Lions Club, the American Legion, the Appomattox Historical Society, the Falling River Country Club and other organizations.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Westminster Canterbury Foundation, 501 VES Road, Lynchburg, VA 24503, or the Red Oak Baptist Church, c/o Linda Rogers, 4904 Oakville Road, Appomattox, VA 24522.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, December 30, 2017 at 11 a.m. at Robinson Funeral Home, Appomattox, VA, with the Rev. Dr. James Vaught officiating. A private family burial will follow.