Harvey Raymond Houston

Harvey R. Houston, formerly of Elmira, NY passed away in the early morning hours of May 19th, 2015. He was the son of the late Walter and Fannie (Payne) Houston. He is survived by his loving wife of 67 years Jean Houston, his three children Danny (Verna), Bill (Sue) and Suzanne, sister Martha Houston, grandchildren Melissa DeHaas and fiancé Clint Flickinger, Scott Houston and fiancé Victoria Berger, Raymond Houston, Shelley Diel and husband Joseph Diel, great grandchildren John Diel and Ella Flickinger. He was predeceased by his five brothers Warren, Erwin, Robb, Bill and Richard and his sisters Jane Lampila and Winona Mace. The family will receive friends at Olinger Hampden Mortuary , 8600 E. Hampden Ave, Denver 80231 from 5:00 to 7:00 PM on Thursday, May 28th. There will be a chapel service at Olinger Mortuary at 10:00 AM on Friday May 29th prior to his internment at Fort Logan cemetery at 12 noon on the same day.

He served his country in the Army Air Force during WWII as a tail gunner in a B-24 bomber. His plane was shot down over France in 1944 during a raid on submarine pens in Toulon resulting in his internment for more than a year in a German prison camp, Stalag 17B. Just over a year after being captured, he and over 400 of his fellow POW’s were liberated by members of General Patton’s 13th Armored Division. This experience proved to have a lasting effect on his life. One of his greatest joys was reconnecting with some of the people he served with and other POW’s after retiring in CO. After retirement, he began to share his wartime experience, corresponding with history buffs in the US and abroad. He spoke to a group of cadets at the Air Force Academy as well as social studies classes regarding his POW experience and he and other POW’s were once featured in a Denver Post article on WWII veterans.

He retired from the Elmira Post Office in 1987 and moved to CO where he would spend the rest of his years. Harvey was a member of the VFW, Rocky Mountain Ex-POW, DAV, and a lifelong member of the American Legion. He was a devoted family man that cherished his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He loved woodworking and built several items (toyboxes, doll houses, Lego table, etc.) for his grandchildren that will be enjoyed for many generations to come. His largest project was the design and construction of a 2-story addition to his prior home in Elmira, NY. Several very nice pieces of furniture that he built will also be heirlooms in future years.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the general or building fund of the Denver Fisher House Foundation 8354 Northfield Blvd Unit 3700 Denver CO 80238.