NON FINKELSTEIN

FINKELSTEIN, Non July 27, 1928 - Sept. 18, 2023 Adventuring immigrant and advocate for societal good Non Dilliana de Bohun Finkelstein Born on her parents' kitchen table in Donaghadee, Northern Ireland, Non (Chamberlain) led a long and impactful life. In her gentle way, Non was a maverick; but few of her friends and family knew all her eventful history. Her life was full of adventure, touched by some of the major events of her time. Daughter of Richard and Betty (Pat) Chamberlain, Non, grew up in a residential Belfast neighborhood in Northern Ireland. With her younger brother, David, she was educated at home by their governess, "Sparks", who had advanced training in both Montessori and Froebel theories. The Chamberlains' high regard for education had a profound and lasting impact. Sparks encouraged Non's love of literature, poetry, art, music and especially the natural world. Those who had the pleasure of walking with Non in the woods, along the seashore or in a formal garden can attest to her encyclopedic knowledge of birds, plants and trees. During WWII, Belfast's ship-building industry was targeted by Nazi bombers, so in 1939, Non, aged 11, was sent to the relative safety of Manor House boarding school in the countryside. Recognizing this school's academic limitations, in 1941, Non's parents enrolled her in Badminton School, which was evacuated to Devonshire, England during the war. Badminton was founded in 1858 to offer girls the same educational opportunities their brothers enjoyed. A Quaker school, it provided a nondenominational sanctuary for displaced European Jewish girls, non-Christian girls of the British Empire and daughters of British families intent on an excellent education. In this international and scholarly milieu, Non cultivated her academic, artistic and social interests. With studies in literature, history, French, geography and biology, Non also acted in all-girl theatrical productions, corresponded with C.S. Lewis and was nominated Head Girl in her senior years. Her leadership position revealed a natural empathy and capacity to provide valued guidance, and she was advised to pursue a university degree in social work. Though fortunate to receive a superlative education, her school years were punctuated by multiple unsettling transits from Northern Ireland to England, traveling across the mined Irish Sea. The journeys often required overnight stops in blitz-blighted London. On one occasion, she along with seasoned Londoners were summoned in their dressing gowns by a nighttime siren to the Tube station/bomb shelter to wait out the night. Decades later, when she moved to Illinois, she was startled to hear that midwestern tornado sirens sounded eerily reminiscent of the London air raid alerts. One of the final transits from school in 1945, fortuitously placed Non in London on VE Day. She watched the celebrations with an aunt from the windows of a Chelsea house and marveled at lights turned on at night for the first time after years of obligatory black-outs. In 1946, peacetime made possible for 18-year-old Non to spend seven months in Lausanne, Switzerland. There, she polished her French at the École Supérieure, tried Alpine skiing and practiced waltzing over a chair, ala Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire, with her circle of friends, comprising several young British and American soldiers in post-war Alpine defense units. She returned home to Belfast to "come out" and prepare for university. Non qualified as a Psychiatric Social worker through undergraduate training at Bedford College, University of London in 1950 and the graduate program at the London School of Economics in 1952. Her education combined classroom study and field-work placements in a variety of settings, spanning publicly-funded children's services and psychiatric hospitals. Non was highly regarded by her tutors and field supervisors. Beyond her intelligence and excellent training, she was sensitive and nonjudgmental toward her clients. She learned early to soften her boarding school English accent and dress down her tweed suits to put her clients at greater ease. Most importantly, Non remained throughout her entire career genuinely curious and engaged with her clients and their treatment paths. While training at London's Maudsley Hospital, Non met her future husband, George A. Talland, who was completing research toward his PhD in Psychology. They were an unlikely couple: she from a middle-class, Anglo-Irish (Protestant) family; he a Hungarian refugee, son of a once-affluent Catholic family. Such were the consequences of displacement caused by WWII. In addition to their shared professional interests, Non and George loved the arts and, though limited by student stipends, made the most of London, going to museums, concerts and especially the opera. They also traveled on a shoe-string in Italy, France and Spain. George was awarded a research fellowship at Harvard University in 1953. With no promise of employment, and without yet being married, Non followed him to Cambridge, MA. George's fellowship provided no travel allowance for her, so Non crossed the Atlantic by ocean liner employed as a lady's companion. Shortly after her arrival, they married in a civil ceremony. Within months, she was hired as a caseworker at Newton Family Services, where she was also a field supervisor for Simmons College students. Non and George settled in 1957 in Lexington, MA to raise their two daughters. George succumbed to an incurable cancer, and in 1968, Non was widowed with two school-aged daughters, far from her family. Though devastating, she had a devoted support group of friends and colleagues who helped her cope during a difficult time. A single mother, she kept the family house, learned to drive in the U.S. for the first time and made life as happy and normal as possible for her daughters. Emerging from grief and moved by the political climate focusing light on women's rights and equity, Non made a bold professional transition. In 1971, she left the Lexington Counseling Service to become Director of Counseling for Boston's Pregnancy Counseling Service (PCS). The mission of PCS, founded in 1969 by the Medical Committee for Human Rights, Planned Parenthood and the Clergy Consultation Service, was to provide counseling and accurate information to women seeking solutions to unplanned pregnancies. Non oversaw the training and consultation for 90+ volunteers, who largely staffed PCS along with ministerial candidates from Harvard Divinity School. 1973 brought transition to Non's personal and professional life. She married Lawrence Finkelstein, Professor of Political Science and long-time friend. Together, they relocated to LaGrange, IL with their blended family of three teenaged daughters. The next twenty years were, for Non, perhaps the most satisfying professionally. She Co-Directed the Community Family Service and Mental Health Center, which she helped to build into an excellent agency serving a widely diverse community outside of Chicago. In addition to her caseload and administrative leadership, she oversaw the on-call emergency response Crisis Team, supervised students from Smith College and worked closely with a Board of Directors and County officials. Retirement in 1995 brought Non to Hollis, NH to be closer to her daughters and granddaughters. She and Larry actively volunteered in NH politics, Beaver Brook Association conservation center and enjoyed a wide circle of friends in book and movie groups. A diminutive beacon of glistening white hair and impish eyes, Non thrived in her new community. She was beloved for her warmth, intelligence and humor; a genuine polymath, she retained vibrant curiosity in an array of topics and people. She delighted her granddaughters with letter-perfect poetry recitations, especially popular were H. Belloc's Cautionary Tales, and anecdotes of her stubborn but loveable childhood pet donkey, Neddy Long-Ears. She lived fully and generously throughout her 95 years and was much-loved. Non is survived by her daughters, Claudia and Valentine Talland of Carlisle and Cambridge, MA; her stepdaughter, Susan Zinn of San Antonio, TX; her sons-in-law, Brian Barnett, Nagesh Mahanthappa, Larry Zinn; her granddaughters, Amelia and Natalie Barnett, Tara Talland, Rachel Zinn; and her sister, Naomi Lake. The moon is up, the stars are bright. the wind is fresh and free! We're out to seek the gold tonight across the silver sea! -Alfred Noyes Visiting Hours: A Memorial Gathering will be held at Mt. Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, MA, on April 5, at 2:00 PM, 580 Mount Auburn Street, Cambridge, MA 02138. In lieu of flowers, gifts can be made in Non's memory to New Hampshire PBS. Kindly visit rivetfuneralhome.com to leave an online condolence for the family.

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