Analy High School Centennial Celebration In Memoriam

CLASS OF

CLASSMATE

1962

Father Bill Finn

The Rev. Bill Finn -- Catholic priest, school principal, businessman and counselor -- died Thursday at a Santa Rosa hospital after a short illness.

"It's sad, sad news,'' said Santa Rosa attorney Jack DeMeo, whose son was one of Finn's students when he was principal at Cardinal Newman High School.

"He was a loving, kind and caring person and had the best interests of his students at heart,'' said DeMeo. "And he always was willing to help out anyone he could and maybe that was his biggest fault. He did so much for people I don't think he had enough time for himself.''

DeMeo also credited Finn for living by his principles.

"He did not always do the popular thing. He did what he thought was the right thing,'' he said.

Finn, 56, died of pneumonia at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, where he had been hospitalized since Nov. 20. A funeral Mass is scheduled at St. Eugene's Cathedral at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday.

William Francis Finn was born and reared in Sebastopol where he attended public schools and graduated from Analy High in 1962.

He studied at Santa Clara University, St. Patrick's Seminary in Menlo Park and Gregorian University in Rome.

He was ordained in 1972 into the Society of the Precious Blood, the order that founded Cardinal Newman High School in Santa Rosa.

The next year Finn went to Cardinal Newman as a teacher and administrator. In 1977, he was appointed principal when Rev. William Delaney retired to parish work.

Finn resigned in 1983 and went to Alaska, where he was a parish priest. Two years later he took a leave from the priesthood and went into business.

Back in Sonoma County, he went to work for American Home Shield, moving from resource manager to vice president in four years. After that firm was sold, Finn invested his earnings in a restaurant project for a couple of years.

Finn returned to active clerical work in the early 1990s, serving as a parish priest in Washington state.

He returned to Sonoma County about a year ago and was living in Santa Rosa with one of his former students and his family.

"Bill made a huge difference in so many people's lives and he saved my life,'' said Bruce Perry, a Santa Rosa stockbroker.

Perry, 36, said he was a troubled and rebellious 10th-grader at Cardinal Newman when he met Finn.

"He was doing a teacher evaluation in my English class and spotted me and concluded I needed help,'' Perry said. "He pulled my file and called me down on the big intercom system: "Send Bruce Perry down to the office,'" Perry said. "I went down and he said: What can I do?''

Perry said Finn tutored him for the remainder of high school.
"I was voted most improved student in my junior and senior years,'' he said.
Perry said Finn helped him into jobs and through college and then became part of Perry's family when he returned to Santa Rosa last year.

"He's been there for me more than 20 years,'' Perry said.

Finn's sister, Terry Marquering of Sebastopol, said helping people was her brother's life.

"He just gave and gave and gave,'' she said. "You could call Bill 24 hours a day and he would do anything for you.''

Echoing DeMeo's comments, Marquering said her brother lived by his principles.

"He was not a people pleaser,'' she said. "If he believed it was right he would do it no matter the popular point of view.''

That included acting promptly in 1981 and alerting former Santa Rosa Diocese Bishop Mark Hurley that Finn had received reports of priestly misconduct against young people.

"That was a perfect example of Bill not being afraid of doing what was right,'' Finn's sister said.

Finn's brother, Tom Finn of Healdsburg, said Finn was comfortable working with people of all ages. He was often called upon for weddings and baptisms.

During a visit to Alaska, Tom Finn remembers watching his brother celebrate Mass one Christmas Eve.

The kids were all fidgeting, making noise and anxious about Christmas, so he told them all to get up to the altar with him and he filled the altar with kids,'' he said.

Most of all he was a counselor,'' Tom Finn said. "He'd open the doors and couldn't shut people off.''

Finn had a life outside the Church, his brother said.

He loved to fly-fish and had a sports fishing boat while he was in Alaska. He liked camping,'' he said. "He loved to play golf and he even played golf with Arnold Palmer once.''

Tom Finn said his brother won a lottery at Silverado Country Club in Napa that teamed him up with Palmer during an American Home Shield tournament in the 1980s.

He was an old duffer and he did horrible. He was so nervous,'' said Tom Finn. "But Arnold was just beautiful with him. He'd seen worse golfers than my brother.''

Finn said his brother was suffering from a lung infection when he collapsed on the way to a doctor's office Nov. 20.

In addition to his brother and sister, Finn is survived by seven nieces and nephews, two aunts and many cousins.

Daniels Chapel of the Roses is in charge of arrangements.

Published on December 1, 2000
The Press Democrat

IN MEMORIAM