Obituary

David Warner Finley passed away on Monday, Feb. 14, 2022, in Sun Prairie, Wis., after battling heart failure and a return of Non-Hodgkins B-cell Lymphoma. David was born on Oct. 23, 1939, in Franklin, Minn. He was the youngest of three children born to Mac and Esther Finley.

David grew up going to a one-room schoolhouse for all of his school years. After school and on breaks he would help his father with their farm. After graduating high school in 1957, David joined the U.S. Navy where he was stationed in Annapolis, Md. He loved his years in the Navy, but didn’t want to make it his career. He was honorably discharged on June 23, 1963.

David moved to Ketchikan, Alaska, at the prompting of his older brother, Richard Finley, who was working as a chiropractor. David fell in love with Alaska and with his bride, Rose Marie Bergeron, and they were married on June 13, 1964.

David was preceded in death by his parents, MacArthur and Esther (Larson) Finley; his wife, Rose (Bergeron) Finley; and his beloved sister, Marguerite (Finley) Borchard. David is survived by his older brother, Richard Finley; daughter, Autumn (Bobby) Miller; son, Samuel Finley; grandchildren, Samuel and Sienna Leibbrandt, Zade Finley, Carver Finley, Asher Finley and Greyson Finley; his nieces, Mary (Jerry) Johnson and Jean (Michael) Kelleher; and nephew, Steve Borchard.

David spent his working years as a maintenance mechanic for the state of Alaska. He also owned a successful janitorial company, Ketchikan Building Maintenance for 30 + years. After retiring, David enjoyed hosting a jazz show on the radio once a month and he also had a jazz trio band called, The Dave Finley trio in 1963. Music was a passion of his and he loved to sing and listen to music, often bringing him to tears.

David learned to cook and bake from his wife, Rose, and he made homemade bread every week for years, up until two months before he passed away. David was an avid reader and book collector. He had an extensive library of encyclopedias, spiritual literature, cookbooks and historical autobiographies.

David was baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1967 and joined his wife in the public ministry for years as regular pioneers. David was known for his strong, unwavering faith, his non-judgmental advice and observations, as well as his public talks. David faithfully attended zoom meetings with his congregation in Ketchikan, Alaska, via zoom right up to the day before he passed away.

David and Rose adored their six grandchildren. David loved to cook them anything they wanted whenever they came over. Popular requests were grilled cheese sandwiches and endless amounts of pancakes. Nothing brought him greater joy than being called, “Papa,” and spending as much time as he could rocking them when they were babies, reading to them when they were older and spoiling them every chance he could. He will be missed dearly by all who loved and cared for him and left quite a legacy to follow.