Theresa "Terry" FINLAY

1929 - 2021

June 11, 1929—March 9, 2021 Terry died peacefully March 9th at Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital in Burlington, in her 92nd year. This followed a valiant three year struggle with health issues that caused her great pain and stole her quality of life. She remained optimistic and cheerful to the end, a poignant example of courage and dignity despite the suffering she endured. Terry is survived by her daughter Lynda Finlay (John Jessop) and her beloved grandchildren Kim Finlay (Nola Lacey) and Christine Finlay (Daniel Jacobs), all of Toronto. Terry was predeceased by Kim and Christine's Dad, her only son David Finlay, in 2020, and by her husband James Finlay in 2010. Terry came from French Canadian Northern Ontario. She was old enough to remember the miracle birth of the Dionne Quintuplets not far from her childhood home. Her family moved to Southern Ontario where she met and married Jim. They relocated several times for his work as a retail executive, living in Montreal Quebec, St. John's Newfoundland, and Windsor Ontario. They finally settled permanently in Burlington Ontario, where Terry was a faithful parishioner at St. Raphael's Catholic Church. Terry was the epitome of integrity. She always knew what was right and did her best to uphold that standard. Her other standout quality was her ability to make friends. She loved people. She remembered names and faces and even if she only met you once, you were important to her. Her network of friends was global, thanks to the many years she and Jim wintered in their beloved Barbados and the ties they formed with international travelers. She was a loyal and generous friend and her close group of best friends got together weekly to play cards for more than 50 years. She loved to entertain and when she hosted you at her home, you never went away hungry. She cherished family as well as friends and was a loving mother, grandmother, wife, sister, sister-in-law, aunt, cousin and mother-in-law. When her two adult children became disabled (David by a stroke, Lynda by multiple sclerosis) she went to heroic and extraordinary lengths to make their lives easier and absolutely nothing was too much trouble. The family extends a special heart-felt thank you to Mary Perley and Eric Tibbett, Terry's kind neighbours, who helped her so wonderfully throughout the pandemic and in her final months. Terry has been cremated, and a celebration of her life will be arranged after Covid 19. If you would like to make a charitable donation in Terry's honour, the organizations most dear to her are https://www.heartandstroke.ca/ and https://mssociety.ca/