Harvey Alan Knell-Crist

Harvey Alan Knell passed away September 7, 2026 at 66, after a long, hard fought battle with kidney disease. He was surrounded by family and lots of love. Harvey left this world the same way he came in, full of fight and strong will. Harvey was born on June 7, 1960, the first wedding anniversary of his parents, Richard and Rosalyn Knell. Harvey was soon joined by sister, Allison and brothers, Eric and Michael. In the early days, the family resided in Fremont, California before relocating to San Jose, California.

Harvey had a big personality; passionate, charming and effusive. Always full send, never half measure. Harvey loved people, and everyone in his orbit received his full attention. Within minutes of meeting Harvey, he knew you, your spouse, your children, your interests, and he remembered every detail. He referred to everyone as "my friend" and every conversation was guaranteed to include an inquiry in to the goings on of not just you, but the people in your life. Harvey had the gift of making you feel like you were important. A gift that brought him great success in sales and earned him many friends over the years.

Like his father, Harvey was a car guy. If it had wheels, he was all about it. He loved cars. Driving cars, looking at cars, talking about cars, selling cars, attending car shows, and watching races. Harvey owned many cool cars in his lifetime. Harvey loved all auto racing, but F1 and Indy Car were his favorites. He could talk for hours about cars and racing. 

Harvey loved animals. He grew up showing dogs and owned many beautiful dogs over the years. Some of Harvey's best friends were people he met at dog shows. 

Harvey was a collector. If it was rare, unique or unusual, he was interested. Over the years, his collections included antique radios, salt and pepper shakers, sewing machines, kites, cars (Fiats, Die Cast, RC and slot), and many other items that caught his fancy. Harvey had a story for every item in his collection, and everything he owned was "really cool" or "really sharp."

A serious foodie, Harvey knew every hole-in-the-wall place to eat and every visit included a culinary adventure. Nothing was off limits or too off-the-wall to try. When he became too sick to venture out, Harvey mail ordered the whackiest food because he just had to try it. Pickles, bagels, olives, jerky, fish, candy, etc. No vacation was planned without a call to Harvey for restaurant recommendations, because, inevitably wherever you were going, he would know of a place that everyone raves about or had a reputation for being "seriously good." Those in regular contact were the recipients of many a recipe reel of the food of the moment or dishes that he wanted to try or found interesting.

Harvey loved music! Not just mainstream, but smaller artists and musicians. He always had an artist or song you needed to check out. The more the song made you feel, the better. Many tears were shed over songs he sent to family and friends.

Harvey was especially sentimental and nostalgic. Harvey had an incredible memory for detail and would regale you with stories of his life and family, often embellished. He had a deep love for his family and friends, which he expressed in unique ways. Harvey would get up early on the weekends to watch auto races, something he did with his dad and brothers. He searched high and low for the treats his parents enjoyed, and would always have some on hand to share, along with a story. 

Harvey married Cyndia Beeler and welcomed his daughter, Sydney. Harvey and Cindy later divorced, and he married Ann Vadvilavich, whom he later divorced. Thereafter, he met and married Valerie Crist and welcomed his son, Ryan. Harvey was very proud of his children and was a doting grandfather.

Harvey is survived by his wife, Valerie, children Sydney (Douglas) Leavitt and Ryan Crist-Knell, granddaughters Charlotte Leavitt and Caroline Leavitt, sister Allison (Ron) Rodriguez, brothers Eric (Rosa) Knell and Michael (Noelle) Knell, cousin Stacy (David) Gewirz, uncles William (Joyce) Knell and Robert (Jacqueline) Knell, numerous cousins, nieces and nephews, and countless friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Richard Joel Knell and Rosalyn Sharon Knell. The family held a small, private memorial service to celebrate Harvey.