Harvey Lee Sperry passed away at the age of 89 on Thursday, August 1, 2019. He was the devoted

husband of Gabriella, father to Cyndy, Owen, Susanna and Csaba, and the proud grandfather to Molly,

Greta, Natalia and Sasha. He is also survived by his brother Don Sperry and two sisters Bonnie and

Sandi. Mr. Sperry was a longtime resident of Chatham, New York.

Mr. Sperry was born and grew up in Iowa and graduated from the University of Northern Iowa in 1954.

After graduating from Iowa Law School and completing his military service, Mr. Sperry moved to New

York and joined the firm of Willkie, Farr & Gallagher LLP in 1957. Over a period of more than 40 years, he had a distinguished legal career as a corporate lawyer whose practice encompassed a broad variety of disciplines in an age of increasing legal specialization. His clients included, among other, many

corporations in the textile industry and the container industry, both private and public, on many whose

boards he was an active director.

Within the firm of Willkie Farr & Gallagher was known as a tough leader who was not shy about

expressing his strongly held views. He was also known for his keen attention and fierce devotion to a

long list of young lawyers who he mentored over many years during the course of their development as

corporate lawyers.

Among his proudest achievements was his work with the employees of Weirton Steel Company in the

early 1980's to save both the company and their town of Weirton, West Virginia through an innovative

employee stock-ownership plan (ESOP) structure and financing. In 1984, Weirton Steel became one of

the largest employee-owned companies in the U.S. and went on in 1989 to complete a public offering of

its shares with a listing on the New York Stock Exchange.

Following his retirement from Willkie Farr in 2000, Mr. Sperry focused his energies in the town of

Chatham where he owned a farm on Jefferson Hill Road with his wife Gabriella. He tended many acres

of land to benefit the preservation of pastures by raising livestock and producing a variety of soil

amendments. He also engaged in philanthropic pursuits including establishing a scholarship program at

the University of Northern Iowa, contributing to the College of St. Rose in Albany, and supporting local

Democrats.

Funeral Services will be private. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to: The Chatham

Democrats, PO Box 138, Chatham NY 12037, or The University of Northern Iowa UNI Foundation Sperry

Scholarship, 204 Commons, Cedar Falls, Iowa 50614-0282. For on-line condolences, visit wenkfuneralhome.com