Mary Finkle, born October 15, 1930, passed away on July 19, 2021, after spending the day with her loving family. Mary is survived by a daughter, Patricia Busch; son-in-law, Eric Busch; son, Wayne Finkle; daughter-in-law, Pam Finkle; grandchildren Amy Grant, Jacqueline Busch, and Eric M. Busch; great-grandchildren Madeline and Jack Grant; and many nieces and nephews.
Predeceased by her loving husband, Jack Finkle; her parents John and Pearl Koltko; and her siblings Phil Koltko, Peter Koltko, and Ann Pankowicz.
Born in 1930, Mary was almost a lifelong resident of Seymour, CT, moving away only when she turned 87 to be closer to her daughter and grandchildren. She graduated from Seymour High School in 1948.
In her 20s she worked at Meyers Cleaners and Rogol’s Men’s Store. When she turned 28 she decided to pursue her lifelong dream of going to college. She studied at Southern Connecticut State University and went on to earn her Master’s in Early Childhood Education. She was a kindergarten teacher in the Oxford, CT school system for 26 years and retired in 1990. She loved working with children, that was her true passion. It was hard to even go to the grocery store without bumping into a former student. She remembered them all, and always took the time to stop and catch up with them.
Even at age 90 she was telling stories about her “kids.” Mary was married to the love of her life for 25 years,and her devotion to her family was second to none,always putting their needs above her own.
After losing her husband and her brother-in-law in an auto accident in 1993, Mary split her time between Austin, TX and Seymour, CT. She loved being part of her grandchildren’s lives and traveled to Austin for all the holidaysandbirthdays. One of her favorite things to do was go with her granddaughter Jackie to the movies and Cinnabon, and to watch her grandson Eric play baseball. She loved to volunteer with their Parents Morning Out program.
When in Connecticut she loved to go to the parties at Wayne and Pam’s house, and reading the Night Before Christmas and singing the “Twelve Days of Christmas.” She also loved to go to the theater in New York City, and to spend time with her friends, nieces, and nephews. She read to the kids at Bungay School and volunteered at the Church of the Good Shepherd. Her house on Emma Street was always open to anyone who wanted to stop in. Mary was always there to lend a helping hand to anyone who needed it. She loved to play Rummikub and sit with her grand dog, Sam my and his friend Pancakes.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Nicholas Parish of Seymour, or to the Peter Frampton Myositis Research Fund at Johns Hopkins, to honor her son-in-law and find a treatment and cure for inclusion body myositis, from which he suffers. Calling Hours will be Thursday, July 29th from 9am to 10:30 am at the Ralph E. Hull Funeral Home, 161 W. Church St., Seymour. A Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 11am at ST. Nicholas Parish/Church of the Good Shepherd, 135 Mountain Rd., Seymour. Interment will be in St. Augustine Cemetery. To share a memory please go to http://www.hullfh.com
