Joseph G. Finlay
U.S. Navy
TEWKSBURY: Joseph Gregory Finlay, age 92, a resident of Andover, MA and Hallandale Beach, FL, a former longtime Lowell resident, passed away on Friday, August 14, 2015 at the Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial V.A. Medical Center in Bedford, following a lengthy illness.
He was the beloved husband of Alice M. (Curran) Finlay, with whom he celebrated their 53rd wedding anniversary on January 20, 2015.
Born in Lowell on October 14, 1922, he was the son of the late William D. Finlay and the late Mary Jo (Pyne) Finlay.
Joe was raised in Lowell, graduating from Lowell High School in 1941. He later attended the former Lowell Commercial College.
In 1942, he began his career in the U.S. Military. Joe initially served during World War II in the U.S. Army Air Corps and was awarded several decorations including the European African Middle Eastern Theater Campaign Ribbon, the American Theater Campaign Ribbon and the Victory Medal. Following World War II, Joe enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served during the Korean War aboard several destroyers, including the U.S.S. Gatling. Prior to his honorable discharge from the U.S. Navy on February 14, 1968, he was awarded two National Defense Service Medals and three Good Conduct Medals for his Navy service.
After his retirement from the U.S. Navy, he worked for the Social Security Office in Nashua, NH until his retirement.
Joe resided in Hudson, NH for over 36 years and was a member of the Hudson V.F.W.
He enjoyed building and flying model airplanes and was a former member of the Southern New Hampshire R/C Club of Hudson, NH and the 495th R/C Squadron of Tewksbury.
In addition to his wife, Joe is survived by one son, Gregory W. Finlay and his wife Carolyn of Andover; one daughter, Sheila A. Hennessy and her husband Christopher of Andover; five grandchildren, William and Grace Hennessy, and Owen, Declan, and Amelia Finlay.
Joe was the brother of the late William P. Finlay.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend his Funeral Mass on Monday, Aug. 17, at 10:30 a.m. at the Oblate Novitiate, 486 Chandler St., Tewksbury. Interment will follow at St. Mary Cemetery, Tewksbury. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to the charity of the donor’s choice. Arrangements entrusted to Farmer & Dee Funeral Home, Tewksbury.