Howard Finley
Howard Finley
Howard Finley
September 14, 1938 – August 20, 2016
Oskaloosa, Iowa | Age 77
Howard Finley, Jr. 77, of Oskaloosa, died Saturday, August 20, 2016, at his home in Oskaloosa. He was born September 14, 1938, in Perry, Iowa, the son of Howard and Gladys DeCur Finley.
As a student at Perry High School Howard was active in football and track. He qualified and participated in the Drake Relays while at Perry. He graduated from Perry High School with the class of 1957. Howard earned a football scholarship and furthered his education at Antelope Valley College and Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, California.
On June 18, 1960, Howard was united in marriage to Carol E. Purdy in Santa Barbara, California.
Early on Howard took a job working for Pepsi-Cola in Ventura and Santa Barbara, California. He worked as the general sales manager for over 15 years for Pepsi. In 1978, the family moved to Oskaloosa. Howard took a job with Hy-Vee Food Store as the deli manager. He retired from there in 2003.
Howard was a member of St. James Episcopal Church in Oskaloosa. He was a founding committee member for Ducks Unlimited and Pheasants Forever in Mahaska County.
He enjoyed scuba diving while living in California, training field trial dogs and competing with them, hunting and fishing. Howard delighted in being with his family, he looked forward to their visits and also attending their activities. He was a great story teller and enjoyed entertaining his family with his tales of Holiki Finley.
His family includes his wife of over 56 years, Carol Finley of Oskaloosa; two daughters: Casey (& Reike) Plecas of West Des Moines and Barbara Finley of Oskaloosa; two grandchildren, Lara and Devon Plecas; two nephews; and two nieces.
Howard was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Elvin and Stanley Finley; and a sister, Irene Hutchens.
As was Howard’s wish, his body has been cremated.
A memorial service will be held Tuesday, August 23, 2016, at 10:00 a.m. in the St. James Episcopal Church in Oskaloosa.
Burial of the urn will be in Violet Hill Cemetery at Perry, Iowa on Tuesday, August 23, 2016 at 2:30 p.m. The Bates Funeral Chapel is in charge of the arrangements.
No visitation is planned.
Memorials may be made to St. James Episcopal Church in Oskaloosa.
To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Howard Finley please visit the Bates Sympathy Store.
