Nancy Scott Finnigan

1926 - 2023

Nancy Scott Finnigan
September 18, 1926 - January 05, 2023
Richland, Washington - Nancy Finnigan passed away at age 96 on January 5th 2023 at Guardian Angels hospice care in Richland, WA.
Born Nancy Ellen Scott she was raised near Chicago and spent summers visiting a family farm in Michigan. Those visits filled her with a lifetime of memories of great depression era rural American life and with a love for cats of every description - young or old, large or small, homeless or domesticated. For the rest of her life all her homes would include at least one pampered kitty.
In 1949 she married Jerry Finnigan and they moved to Richland, WA to join the Hanford work force and start raising four children.
Her family moved to southern California for the decade of the 1960s when Jerry joined the aerospace industry. Battelle PNNL engineering management opportunities brought them back to Richland for the 1970s.
She felt great pride that Jerry served as Dean of the Joint Center for Graduate Study during the 1980s and championed its metamorphosis into the WSU Tri-Cities campus of today.
As her children grew and Jerry retired Nancy became a community volunteer, serving with the American Red Cross and with the Friends of the Richland Library. In the Friend's Book Room she found the most rewarding of her many volunteer hours enjoying the camaraderie of fellow book lovers and the opportunity to generate money for the library. She was deeply disappointed when COVID forced the closure of that warm, cozy space.
Nancy is survived by her children Skip Finnigan of Vancouver WA, Patty Finnigan of Gig Harbor WA, Carol Sollender of Richland WA, Janet Finnigan of Kennewick WA, her niece Sally Ledig of Des Plaines IL, her niece and nephew Tracy and Michael Milz of Galena IL and grandchildren Harley Ostrom of Spokane WA, and Jessie (Sollender) and Matt Miera of Kirkland WA and their children Josslyn and Elias.
Nancy was the quintessential mother with the natural ability to attract children of all ages. Over the years, it was her house where all the neighborhood children gathered to play, Nancy being widely known as the "fun mom."
The family would like to thank Guardian Angels and Chaplaincy Hospice House staff for their outstanding care of our Mom as her health declined. Their compassion, support and prayers were invaluable.
Mother, homemaker, friend, and volunteer - We miss her more than words can say.
A celebration of her life will be arranged in the spring.