Deacon Martin James Finnegan

1940 - 2023

Deacon Martin James Finnegan
February 22, 1940 - July 7, 2023
Ocean Springs, Mississippi - Martin James Finnegan, age 83, passed away on Friday, July 7, 2023, with his beloved family at his side, following a twelve year battle with prostate cancer.
The lives Martin touched through his years as Deacon Martin are beyond measure - but his most important role was that of Husband, Father and Papa to his dear family. His gentle gaze, touch and words helped heal scrapes to heartbreaks - he made the world a better more peaceful place and his memory will continue to soften the edges of our lives.
He was born in Rose Hill, MS, on a snowy February 22, 1940. He lived with his family in Petal and in Aiken, SC before moving to Hattiesburg, where he graduated from Sacred Heart School in 1959. He entered the US Air Force that year and served as an aircraft mechanic and flight chief in Texas, Missouri and in Thule, Greenland during the Cuban Missile Crisis. In 1963, he married his high school sweetheart, the former Brenda Brown, and attended Mississippi State University. They moved to Pascagoula in 1966, where he went to work at Chevron Refinery, where he was employed as a process operator and later as a national certified board inspector until his early retirement in 1985. After retirement, he taught religion at Our Lady of Victories High School (now Resurrection High School) in Pascagoula, serving as director of religious education there from 1985-1988.
He was ordained as the first permanent deacon for the Catholic Diocese of Biloxi on June 17, 1979 at the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Bishop Joseph Lawson Howze. He served as deacon at Sacred Heart in Pascagoula from 1979-1988, and was chaplain at the Port of Pascagoula with the Apostleship of the Sea. He also served on the boards of both the Cursillo of South Mississippi, and the de l'Epee Deaf Center, Inc.
On July 1, 1988, he was appointed by Bishop Howze to serve as the first deacon pastoral associate at St. Elizabeth Seton in Ocean Springs, and as Director of Religious Education and Youth, and served as deacon there for 35 years. Diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2011, he continued to serve at St. Elizabeth Seton until his illness deemed otherwise, first, under Father George Kitchin, Father Bernard Farrell, and now Fr. Sergio Balderas.
He enjoyed fishing and camping with his wife and three children, and loved holidays, especially Christmas, where he often made elaborate yard decorations and took great pride in his department store level Christmas morning presentations. He embodied Santa Claus - down to the twinkly eyes.
He is survived by his wife of almost 60 years, Brenda, and his three children Kenneth (Kari Branch), Natalie (Kelly Cusimano) and Darren (Renee); six grandchildren, Talia (Matt) Haebler, Kelly (Stacey) Finnegan, Andrew (Mike) Finnegan; Isabelle and Lucy Terranova and Georgia Cusimano, and two great-grandsons, Woods Finnegan Haebler, and Jack Wade Finnegan, who were the joy of his last two years.
He is also survived by one brother, Charles Finnegan, and three sisters: Sister Chabanel (Annie Ruth) Finnegan, Elizabeth Ann Low, and Mary Frances (David) Ford and sisters-in-law, Brook Finnegan; Susan (John) Kitchin; Joanne (Robert) Byrd; Tori (Eddie) Hickson and brothers-in-law: Michael (Patricia) Brown; Gerald (Susan) Brown; and Patrick Brown. Other survivors are his former daughter-in-law, Alice Fish Barattini (Lawrence) and their son, Lucien, honorary grandson, and many nieces, nephews and cousins, as well as the community of deacons of the Diocese of Biloxi. Martin was preceded in death by his parents Charles E. and Nettie Ruth (Graham) Finnegan and his brother Johnny Ray Finnegan and his paternal and maternal grandparents.
The family offers special thanks to the staff of Hospice of Light, especially Donna and Teadra, for their loving care.
Services will be held on Tuesday, July 11, at St. Elizabeth Seton Church, 4900 Riley Road in Ocean Springs. Visitation will be from 9-11am with Mass at 11:00am, followed by a private burial at Evergreen Cemetery in Ocean Springs.
You may send condolences to his family, signed the online register, or share a memory of Deacon Finnegan on the Tribute Wall of www.obryantokeefe.com