Muriel Finn

Finn, Muriel
Apr. 16, 1924 - Oct. 8, 2013
Muriel Findell Finn died peacefully of natural causes in her home in Sarasota, FL on October 8. She is remembered lovingly by her five children and their spouses, 15 grandchildren and five great grandchildren for her unfailing gentleness, patience and support. She was 89.
Daughter of Arthur and Selma Lundeen Findell, she was born in Cambridge, MN on April 16, 1924, one of six children. She graduated from Central High School in Minneapolis when she was 16 years old, having skipped two academic years. Afterward, she worked at a Minneapolis bank as a bookkeeper, teller and finally executive assistant. On November 18, 1943, she married Michael C. Finn to whom she was devoted until his death in 2006. His career at General Electric, which began in Minneapolis, eventually took the family to St. Louis, back to Minneapolis, then to Detroit, and finally Cleveland. In each location Muriel focused on re-establishing a comfortable home life for her growing family and on acclimating them to a new community. In retirement, the couple lived half of each year on Siesta Key in Sarasota, FL and on Lake Michigan in Eastport. MI, where they enjoyed an active social life with dear friends and visiting family.
Through these numerous adaptations, Muriel stayed true to the pragmatism, self-sufficiency, and minimalism of her Swedish roots. She imbued in her children the strong work ethic of her own upbringing, and held them to a high standard of achievement. In turn, they could count on her for quiet, steady support.
Muriel's family and friends admired her talents as a seamstress and recall the customized wedding gown she made for a daughter, as well as dresses for the entire bridal party. She was a fearless do-it-yourselfer, and enjoyed the challenge of reupholstery, wallpapering, basketry and many household fix-it projects. She was a crack crossword puzzler, completing a daily newspaper puzzle for decades. Above all, she loved being a mother and grandmother.
She is survived by her brother Roger Findell and his wife Jo of Minneapolis, MN, and her sister Dorothy Vizenor of San Diego; daughters Barbara Evans (and husband William) of Pensacola, and Martha Brooks (and husband Toby) of Atlanta, GA; sons Terrence Finn (and wife Kristin) of Newton, MA, Timothy Finn (and wife Jacqueline) of McLean, VA and J. Charles Finn (and wife Tamra) of Chapel Hill, NC.
She was a member of St. Michael the Archangel in Sarasota, where a funeral Mass will be held at Noon on Saturday, Nov. 9th.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations to The F.I.N.N. Foundation, which provides medical and surgical care for those most in need in the US and Guatemala. The foundation plans to build a Muriel A. Finn Operating Room at Senda de Vida Clinic in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala over the next year. For more information or to make an online donation, go to http://www.finnface.com/finn_foundation.php. Checks can be sent to: The F.I.N.N. Foundation, 1390 Environ Way, Chapel Hill, NC 27517.