Obituary of Harry C. Meserve

Harry C. Meserve of Capitola, CA passed away peacefully at home surrounded by family and friends of complications related to Renal Cell Carcinoma.  He was born September 16, 1942 in Waltham, MA to Harry C. Meserve, Jr. and Louise (Bloomfield) Dunmire.  He grew up in Buffalo, NY and San Francisco, CA and attended Roosevelt Jr. High, and later the Cambridge School of Weston, MA. 

Harry joined the U.S. Marine Corps in June 1960 and was honorably discharged in June, 1966 with the rank of Corporal.  He was stationed in Lejeune, North Carolina and London, England.  On return to civilian life, he earned a B.A. in History at UCLA, and later, a degree of Candidate in Philosophy in History in 1975. 

Following this, he was a dispatcher for Southern Pacific Railroad for almost 20 years; he then worked in the public library system in Watsonville, CA and taught History at Cabrillo College.  After obtaining an M.S.  in Library Science at San Jose State University, he joined the library staff there  and retired as Associate Librarian Emeritus in 2010.  Harry was very active politically throughout the 1970s in the anti-war movement and joined several Socialist organizations including the Socialist Workers Party.  He also worked extensively with Veterans For Peace during these years, well into his retirement including driving a relief caravan with VFP to Nicaragua in in 1988. He was an outspoken advocate for peaceful solutions and worked on many levels to promote peace locally and globally.  Most recently, he participated in the Veterans For Peace Armistice Day Celebrations in downtown Santa Cruz and enjoyed the music and comradery very much.  Harry led the planning committee for the Annual Vets Thanksgiving Day Dinner for more than 20 years as well as other philanthropic and volunteer efforts, including supporting the VFP Golden Rule Peace Boat Project.  He had many passions including hiking in the Sierra Nevada mountains, baseball (especially the Red Sox), trains, poetry and the sea.

Harry is survived by his daughter, Shane and her husband, Jon; his brothers Peter and David and their wives, Jan and Betsy, respectively; by his long-time friend Marilyn Sronce and her children, Kurt, Kara and her wife Nancy.  He is preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Emily Meserve Kinzie.  He is also survived by seven nieces and nephews and their families as well as many close friends.

Arrangements are being handled by Benito & Azzaro Pacific Gardens Chapel.  A celebration of Harry’s life is being planned for February 17, 2019 at the Veteran’s Memorial Building in Santa Cruz at 846 Front Street.  Memorial donations may be made to the Veteran’s Thanksgiving dinner fund at P.O. Box 672, Santa Cruz, CA, 95061 or to Veterans For Peace. To express your condolences or to share a memory with Harry’s family, please visit www.pacificgardenschapel.com.