Howard B. "Bruce" Finley

FINLEY, HOWARD B. "BRUCE," 62, of Louisville, died peacefully at home on Saturday, March 11, 2006. Bruce was a union organizer and organizing director for 36 years with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union. He was passionate in his life's work building solidarity for the union worker. The generosity of his time, talents, and knowledge in attempting to ensure protection for the common worker in the workplace was boundless. He worked in Akron, OH, with the Retail Clerks Local Union 698 and then throughout all of Northeast Ohio with UFCW Local 880. In 1993, Bruce moved to Louisville and became the organizing director of UFCW Local 227. Together with the new leadership of the Local, they organized new members and became the largest local union in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. After retiring from the Local in 2003, Bruce continued to work with the Union designing and maintaining their website and writing their newspaper. He was born in Cambridge, OH, and graduated from Whitehall-Yearling high school in Columbus, OH. He attended Ohio State University and was first chair trumpet player in the Ohio State University Band. He was preceded in death by his mother, Dortha Finley Jamiel. He is survived by his loving wife, Patricia Baizel Finley; his daughter, Erin McKnight (Dirk) of Chardon, OH; his two sons, Erich Finley of Charotte, VT, and Christopher Finley of Santa Monica, CA; a sister, Donna Hunter (Jim) of Columbus, OH; a half-brother, James T. Jamiel; and grandchildren, Christopher, Jonathan, William and Elizabeth McKnight. He was the beloved uncle to many nieces and nephews. A memorial service celebrating Bruce's life will be held at 3:30 p.m. on April 1, 2006, at Central Presbyterian Church. Expressions of sympathy may be made to the Danny Dettlinger Memorial Scholarship Fund, UFCW Local 227, 3330 Pinecroft Dr., Louisville, KY 40219, or the Paul Weber Fellowship Mentoring Excellence Award, Development Office, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292.