Jill Lynn Finnegan

1961 - 2017

Jil Finnegan, 55, passed away at her Oakland, CA home on Wednesday, September 20, 2017, following a seven-year battle with cancer. She was seen off by friends and family and was at peace with her transition. She tried to live a good life and believes she mostly achieved it.
The youngest of five children, Jil was born December 7, 1961 in Lodi, California to Ed and Gail Finnegan. She left high school in her junior year, as she was anxious to be on her own and make her own decisions about life. After a couple of years in southern California, she moved to San Francisco where she finally felt at home. 
After several fun-filled and action packed years, she returned to college where she earned a BS in environmental engineering. She worked for the Navy and for civil/environmental engineering consulting firms and really enjoyed her job and the projects she worked on.
She met Geoff Protz in a SF City College welding class in 1999. They were married in 2003 and moved to Oakland in 2004, where Jil  became very active in community activities in her King Estate neighborhood.
Her many contributions to the community included installing a Little Free Library at the Phoenix Peace Park, spearheading neighborhood emergency response preparedness and annual drills, serving on the Park Committee for stewardship of the local Open Space, helping with National Night Out and neighborhood block parties, and generally loving life in her neighborhood where she had lots of friends and support during her illness. 
Living on the best street, in the best neighborhood, in the best town, close to the most incredible urban park district in the country,  brought Jil a tremendous sense of belonging, as did exploring the trails of the East Bay hills with her dogs and friends.
She also enjoyed exploring the world at large, and her many travels took her not just to Europe and Mexico, but to India, Africa, and Southeast Asia as well, usually in the company of her sister, Anne.
Jil was well known for being the life of the party, and an especially sad day in her illness was when she realized that wine no longer tasted good to her. Things would never be the same. Jil was also an endless fount of pet names, which she liberally bestowed on her furried and human friends alike.
Jil is survived by her loving husband Geoff, Bailey and Tucker (the best dogs in the world), her cat Tula, and numerous friends and family members who will forever miss her calling them cupcake or sweet cheeks – either with affection or sarcasm, depending.
A memorial service for Jil will be held at noon on October 15, 2017 at Leona Lodge, 4444 Mountain Blvd., Oakland. 
Donations may be made in her memory to Oakland Animal Services, 1101 29th Ave., Oakland, CA 94601.
Please sign the guest book at www.lodinews.com/guestbook.