98 THE ADVOCATE
VOL. 79 PART 1 JANUARY 2021
Harvey Irving Wolfson
We lost a treasured friend and colleague, Harvey Irving
Wolfson, in 2019. Harvey died on May 24 of that
year, after a brief and challenging illness. He left
behind his partner Leslie, son Michael, daughter-inlaw
Beth, granddaughters Abigail and Alison, and
brothers Larry and Richard. With his passing, we lost
a shining light. Harvey’s intelligence, kindness, generosity
and sense of humour have been sorely missed by all those who
knew him.
Harvey was born in Vancouver on January 11, 1951. His family lived
above the Sea Island service station that was owned and operated by his
father, Arnold. Harvey was one of three boys in the Wolfson family. When
Harvey was a young boy, the family moved to the Marpole neighbourhood,
but Harvey continued to spend time at the service station with his
father.
Harvey attended Wilfred Laurier and Winston Churchill schools in Vancouver.
As a teenager, Harvey attended Expo 67 in Montreal, toured the
United States and Canada by motorcycle and hitchhiked to Los Angeles for
the city’s first run of the musical Hair. Childhood experiences with his
brothers and his adventures as a young adult not only provided a source of
entertaining stories, but also foreshadowed the positive energy and gift of
humour that Harvey would share with his friends and colleagues throughout
his life.
Once back home from his early travels, Harvey worked for the Canadian
National Railway for a few years before attending Simon Fraser University
to obtain his teaching certification in 1976. His first teaching position was
at Stoney Creek Elementary in Burnaby, and for almost a decade, Harvey
taught elementary and high school students in Burnaby. Harvey’s traits of
compassion, engagement and patience surely stood him in good stead in his
teaching roles.
In 1985, Harvey sought a new challenge and enrolled at UBC law school.
He was called to the B.C. bar in 1989.
Harvey’s early legal practice was at general law firms where he practised
family and civil litigation. A former colleague has lauded Harvey’s sense of
fairness and noted that it motivated him to help those in need if he saw a
cause and believed in it, even if they could not afford legal services. Har-