Obituary of Edward John Finch

FINCH: As quiet in his passing as he was in his lifetime, our beloved Edward John Finch left us for heaven at the age of 101 years, passing away on September 14, 2019 at the MacGregor Personal Care Home. He will be lovingly remembered by his extended family and dear friends for his warmth, his dignity, his strength of character and his sterling example of steadfast faith and servanthood. Ed and his identical twin, Wilf, were born on November 23, 1917, to the Reverend William John and Marie Louise Finch (née Bailey) in Melita, MB. Their pre-school years were spent in Melita, after which the family moved to Elkhorn, MB and welcomed another set of twins, Howard and George. Ed and Wilf and their elder sister, Nellie, attended school in Elkhorn for four years before another move, this time to Birtle, MB, where the family would settle permanently. In their free time, the boys explored the countryside around Birtle, swimming and fishing in the Birdtail River in summer, skating on it in the winter, and enjoying plenty of bird hunting together in season. When Ed and Wilf were twelve, Nellie fifteen and the younger boys only six years old, they lost their mother to cancer. A housekeeper helped the family until Nellie graduated and took a greater role in the care of the household. Throughout the depression years, Ed and Wilf worked together picking and selling berries in the summer, helping with farm work at harvest time, and sawing poles and cordwood to sell over the winter. At age sixteen, they spent the summer at the Clear Lake campground, while working at the Wasagaming Golf Course under the direction of golf pro, Johnnie Lawrence. They caddied during the daytime and watered the greens at night, walking to and from the course down the old highway. Their meals were often taken with the crews of men constructing the roads and stone walls of Riding Mountain National Park. As a side benefit, the boys were allowed to golf as much as they pleased after 4 p.m. Decades later, Ed and Wilf would be surprised and delighted to be invited back to Clear Lake to speak about their experiences working with Johnnie Lawrence, at the dedication of the golf course road renamed in his honour. In the summer of 1940, almost a year after the beginning of the Second World War, Ed and a group of other young men from Birtle enlisted in the Provost Corps (military police corps). Ed spent six weeks in Shilo, training for his post and learning to ride a motorcycle, after which he was posted to England. There, he spent two years policing soldiers before transferring to the RCAF, close to the end of the war. After the war, Ed took advantage of the offer of free post-secondary education for returning veterans and took his Bachelor of Arts at United College, followed by his Law degree. Between these two degrees, Ed married his precious Lee (née Shirley Armstrong), whom he had met at university. After completing his course of studies in Law, Ed began to article in Stonewall, but soon transferred to a special cohort of veterans training outside of the usual channels. This cohort also included his brother Wilf, who had followed a similar educational path on his return from the navy. The brothers graduated together, ultimately becoming the district registrars of Brandon (Ed) and Dauphin (Wilf), positions they continued to hold until their retirement. Ed and his wife Lee, a librarian at Brandon University, lived in Brandon and then in Kemnay during their working years. They were active in St. George's Anglican Church, Brandon, where Lee became the organist and Ed served numerous roles in the church and the diocese. Because they had no children themselves, the couple lavished attention on their nieces and nephews and hosted international students, who came to think of them as their "adopted "parents. In addition, Ed and Lee helped to sponsor refugees, gave selflessly to many charities and lent their generous support to several artists in the Brandon area. Summers were spent at Killarney with neighbours and close friends Dr. and Mrs. (Wes and Helen) Wong and family, whenever Ed was not completing one of the many Herculean landscaping projects which he gamely undertook in the yard of every home the couple owned. Upon retirement, they moved briefly to BC, but ultimately returned to their long-time community of Brandon. In their last home, on Madison Crescent, Ed and Lee were fortunate enough to meet next-door neighbours Gerry and Rita Smit, who became close friends of the couple and took an active role in caring for them as they aged. Ed's family would like to thank Gerry and Rita for the friendship and support they extended, not only to Ed and Lee, but to all of us. Ed is predeceased by his wife, his mother and father, his sister and his younger brothers. He leaves behind his identical twin Wilf and Wilf's three children: Elspeth (Randy) and their family, Erin (Dave), Lyndon and Aidan; John (Debra) and son Jordan; and George. He is also survived by the six children of his sister Nellie and her husband Lockhart Fulton: Bruce (Rosemarie); Geoff (Lynn) and their children Lockhart, Evadne (Aaron) and Deirdre; Deborah; Peter (Sandy); Jennifer (Don) and daughters Vanessa and Liona; and Abigail (Karl). Special mention must also be made of Simon and Irene Li (née Chu), Ed and Lee's "adopted" family from Hong Kong, and their children, Sara and Philip. As a family, we are all grateful for the many years we were given to spend with Ed, and for the memory of his loving and generous spirit. In lieu of flowers, friends are encouraged to donate to a charity of their choice. A Celebration of Ed's Life will be held at St. George's Anglican Church, 1011-5th St., Brandon, MB., at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 14, 2019.