‘Grandpa Harvey’ longtime Benton Franklin Fair volunteer dies at 89
Harvey Underwood, the man who greeted guests to the Benton Franklin Fair & Rodeo for three decades, died Dec. 2 at his Kennewick home.
He was 89.
Underwood’s association with the annual fair dates to 1968, the year he moved his family to the Tri-Cities.
He supported the fair through his work with Columbia Kiwanis and later joined the fair board in 1987, serving until he retired in 2016.
“The world is a poorer place today without Harvey Underwood,” Roger Mooney, the fair’s rodeo announcer, said in a statement to the Tri-City Herald about his longtime friend.
“He was the gold standard for the Benton Franklin Fair & Rodeo. He loved his community, and the young people of Washington. He was a hero and will be sadly missed.”
Decades of service
The fair was family business. His wife, Kathy, also served on the board.
In 2016, in an interview tied to his retirement, Underwood told the Herald there was nowhere he’d rather be during the fair week than volunteering in the parking lot and taking on other roles.
He traced his roots to volunteering with the 4-H horse program when two of his children entered horses.
He’d bring an RV and camp out for the fair’s run.
Even after leaving the board, he relished his “emeritus” status and continued to lend a hand.
His son, Mark Underwood, said horses and mules were a lifelong passion. He could regularly be found riding and packing in the mountains, typically with friends. His son recalled memorable horse riding adventures to Canada as a family.
Underwood was also a champion of literacy.
He was a 10-year volunteer at Lincoln Elementary, where he helped first-graders learn to read. “Grandpa Harvey” was a daily presence at Lincoln and often worked through the summer.
“That was extremely important to him,” Mark said.
About ‘Grandpa Harvey’
Harvey Underwood was born in Montana. He was 1, when his family moved to Sunnyside.
He launched his agriculture career in Sunnyside with Western Farmers. His job took him to Mount Vernon, then Lynden, both in Western Washington, before he moved his growing family to the Tri-Cities.
He and son Richard established H & R Agriculture, focused on selling fertilizers and chemicals to the region’s farmers. The business sold when he retired.
Mark Underwood said his father struggled with health issues, including cancer, but remained mentally sharp. He dined with close friends every Friday for years and was with them the week before his death.
Services have not been confirmed, but will be arranged by Einan’s.