Carvel Royal Harward

Our exemplar of gentleness and vigor receives rest after protracted illness. Carvel lived sensitive to the hurt that living inevitably brings when one remains brave enough to feel. With the personal pain he bore, he carried an awareness of and empathic connection to the beauty, joy and pain of other lives. It hurt him to see others, human or animal, hurting. Similarly, he celebrated the successes of others and laughed readily with them. Carvel was born in Richfield, Utah to Royal and Donna Bagley Harward. He was raised in Loa, Utah with a sister and four brothers. Carvel grew up driving tractors, milking cows, and excelling academically. He grew mentally and physically tough with a tender heart. Carvel fell for his grade school classmate Marilyn Brian. Their feelings had bloomed romantically by the time they graduated from Wayne High School in 1959. Carvel served a full-time mission in Norway for the LDS Church from 1961 to 1963. On December 26, 1964, Carvel and Marilyn married in the LDS temple in Manti, Utah. They gave everything in establishing a warm home. In time they had three children: Carvel II, Brian, and Mary. Carvel studied at the University of Utah, where in 1967 he received a BA in Social Studies and in 1971 a JD. Carvel spent his professional career (excepting a brief stint as ice cream parlor entrepreneur!) as a criminal prosecutor. He served with the Davis County Attorney’s Office and the Salt Lake County Attorney’s Office. For much of his career he led and trained teams of prosecutors, even while trying cases himself. Carvel regarded himself a public servant and sought to make a difference in the world. He promoted that ethic among his colleagues. In his work he championed the victims of human cruelty. He mastered the craft of bringing convictions in capital homicide cases. It wore him down. He repeatedly saw what no one should have to see, ever. Carvel was a High Priest in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He spent his life in the Church, serving in many capacities. While living with his family in Louisiana in the late 1970s, the Church called Carvel to visit members scattered around Plaquemine on the outskirts of Baton Rouge. Those falling under his care grew so numerous in the area that the Church formed a local branch over which Carvel presided. His family’s religious life became immersed in this community. Carvel and Marilyn found lifetime friends there. In 1980 Carvel settled his young family in Centerville, Utah. Carvel lived for 24 years there, the longest he ever made a place home. Out of Centerville endure so many profound relationships. Carvel liked being outdoors. Raw wild nature invigorated him. He reveled in early starts and strenuous exertion. He adored wildflowers, felt kinship with animals. He opened this experience to family and all comers. Wilderness lifted him spiritually, mentally, emotionally. Mountains especially stirred him. He led others into them. Carvel worked a relationship with discomfort. He ran far, including a decade of St. George marathons. He pedaled slickrock in a red bandanna headband. His Telemark skiing was a genuflect to the old country and a tribute to challenge. He wandered along high alpine trails with provisions strapped to his back. From his youth on, the Scouting program captivated Carvel. As a boy his official involvement was limited for lack of a strong local program. As a father of boys, Carvel became a merit badge counselor. In Centerville, Carvel held the title of Assistant Scoutmaster and for a decade worked with 11-year-old boys, impacting a generation. He made the foreign familiar: 5-mile hikes, map & compass navigation, sleeping on the ground . . . wherein external pursuits drove internal change. Perhaps the most painful and confusing episode of Carvel’s life came as his dear Marilyn succumbed to neurological decline that swept her mind and body away. Almost immediately after Marilyn died, Carvel retired from the Davis County Attorney’s Office and his career in law enforcement. Hawaii became a place of solace for Carvel. He found companionship in Colleen Harris. Together they moved to Hawaii, living there for the better part of a decade. Carvel and Colleen married and cared for each other until he needed more care than he could give. Colleen took care of Carvel. They returned to “the mainland.” Carvel drew his final breath living in Las Vegas, Nevada. Carvel is preceded in death by his parents and his childhood sweetheart and children’s mother. He is survived by his wife Colleen Harris. She is his Tutu and he is her Big Kahuna. He is survived by his sister Carol (Dwight) Williams of Teasdale, Utah, and each of his brothers: Ron (Julie) of St. George, Utah, Newell (Gloria) of Loa, Utah, Kendall (Margo) of St. George, Utah, and Layne (Betty) of Farmington, Utah. He is survived by his children Carvel (Emily) of Millcreek, Utah, Brian (Kari) of Salt Lake City, Utah, and Mary (Brian) Gonzales of Escondido, California. He is survived by his grandchildren, Madilyn and Brinley. Please join family and friends in celebrating the memory of Carvel. Casual dress, Hawaiian shirts welcome. Gathering will be relatively informal. Viewing on Thursday, February 2, 2017, 6:00 pm-8:00 pm, Springer Turner Funeral Home, 260 North 400 West, Richfield, Utah. Memorial gathering Friday, February 3, 2017 in Loa, Utah. Final viewing 11:00 am-12:30 pm, Relief Society room, LDS meetinghouse, 20 South 100 West. Interment at 1:00 pm in Loa Cemetery. After interment family and friends reconvene in meetinghouse for lunch, mingling, and an open microphone to share your thoughts, feelings or music. Come and go as you wish, stay as long as you like. Viewing and interment services provided by Springer Turner Funeral Home. Gathering place and meal courtesy of the Loa LDS Ward.