Harvey John Kosik

Harvey John Kosik Jr., 61 years old, took his last breath of life on March 21st, 2019 at The Denver Hospice, after a hard fought battle with an aggressive, incurable brain cancer: Glioblastoma. 

Harvey was born on December 5th, 1957 in Denver, CO to Harvey and Frances (Heil) immediately becoming the little brother to three sisters: Sandra, Diane, and Peggy. He grew up in his family's 1880s duplex in Elyria, an heirloom property that his grandparents bought in 1938, that was then passed down to him (he was later forced to sell the property in 2017, due to the gentrification of the Elyria area, and expansion of the National Western Center. His infamous, passive-aggressive message "WAS 4681" still can't be missed on his old duplex at 4681 Baldwin Ct). 

Harvey spent his childhood playing in the stockyards of the National Western, adventuring and fishing along the S. Platte River, running around Elyria/Swansea, and having campouts at Riverside Cemetery; his dog, fishing pole, and BB gun usually in tow. 

 During his young adult years, Harvey's passion for anything mechanical truly blossomed. He enjoyed buying, fixing, and racing cars throughout the streets of Denver, where he was notoriously known as "Hot Wiring Harvey." He put his racing on hold when he married Kathleen (Church), starting a family and having four children: Krystal, Jacqueline, Stephanie, and Jason. 

 While growing his young family, Harvey was laid off from his decade-long job at the nearby feed mill. Being a realist, Harvey decided that a new career in HVAC would "always be in demand." He took the unexpected job loss as an opportunity to learn a new trade and enrolled in the Denver Institute of Technology (D.I.T.)’s HVAC and Refrigeration program. While attending D.I.T., Harvey put his new knowledge and abilities to immediate use by repairing seemingly lifeless, broken appliances. He put “free junk removal” ads in the local newspapers and used his 1957 Chevy pickup truck to collect the broken appliances. Harvey brought the assumed-to-be salvaged appliances back to life, and then sold them out of his family's carport to make ends meet, while finishing up his HVAC schooling. If something still had some life in it, Harvey was the one to fix it. 

 Harvey spent almost three decades working as an HVAC technician for a few different well known companies (his last 18 years working at Trane), inching towards a retirement that he was never able to have nor enjoy. During his HVAC years, he earned the nickname "MacGyver" from his co-workers and friends, for his ingenuity and ability to always figure out how to fix literally everything. His ability to repair almost anything will always be remembered, valued, and respected. If Harvey couldn't fix it, no one could.

 A man filled with so much wisdom and knowledge, Harvey will be remembered as a fixer, mentor, good friend/father/neighbor, and funny man; his sense of humor, wit, and quotes will never be forgotten. He enjoyed: fishing, spending countless hours in the garage and outside, tinkering with any and everything, perfecting his rifle shot, watching cartoons with his nine grandchildren, spending time with his four kids and numerous friends, browsing craigslist on Saturday mornings, sharing his wisdom, long chats with his sister Peggy, his chewing tobacco, and a cold Busch Light. He was the literal epitome of a simple man. 

 A private Celebration of Life was held at the Forney Museum of Transportation on April 14th, 2019. In lieu of flowers, donations were made to the National Brain Tumor Society.