Robert L. "Bob" Finch's Obituary
Bob Finch was a wood craftsman, a world traveler, and loved to sip a good Manhattan.
He could fix anything, was a friend to anyone he met, and lived by the motto, “Take your cookies when they’re passed.” Never pass up a good opportunity.
He’ll be missed by all who knew and loved him.
Robert L. Finch, 86, of Muskegon, MI passed away September 15, 2023, after living a life he loved.
Bob was born Nov. 5, 1936 in Oswego, New York to Mary and Herbert Finch.
After high school graduation he apprenticed to become a skilled patternmaker, creating complex engine components out of wood before they would be cast into their metal forms. His talents were respected by his colleagues and throughout his trade.
Bob’s woodworking skill continued in his basement workshop, where he crafted a beautiful heirloom cradle for his first grandson, Tate; made countless graceful wooden birds; and carved pieces of fruit and nuts so realistic there are bite marks in one banana that remain today. Bob carved one special bird that was curved on the bottom, unable to stand up, “so you have to hold it,” he explained.
Bob shared 41 years of marriage with his beloved wife, Patricia. They raised two children, Terri and Mark, in a home filled with encyclopedias for learning, maps for planning summer adventures, great homemade spaghetti sauce, and lots of love.
After Pat died too young at age 62, Bob was lucky to find love again with Mary Ellen Hermann. They enjoyed 22 years together, traveling the world on grand adventures, from canoeing the Amazon River to climbing Mayan pyramids to wading in the Arctic Ocean. They spent winters together in Arizona, took care of each other, and watched “Jeopardy” together after supper. Bob often knew the answers.
Bob was a proud U.S. Navy veteran as a member of the Seabees, the Navy’s construction battalion, the first on the scene to build barracks and airfields for soldiers soon to come. Bob would say the Seabees were the only force who spent their days with a hammer in one hand and a machine gun in the other. He loved his Seabees hat and wore it often.
Bob traveled the country and the world, packing up his family of four plus his mother-and father-in-law
every summer and traveling the country for six or eight weeks in a station wagon, pulling a trusty pop-up tent camper. Precious memories made.
He ate lobsters in Maine and felt the spray of geysers in Yellowstone, visiting all 50 states in his 86 years, relishing his experiences with patience and awe. No “point of interest” went unseen.
Bob knew that all the little things were actually big things.
He loved fishing for perch on Muskegon Lake, catching thousands over the years, then frying them to tasty perfection. But he often came back from a day on the lake noting, “the fish are a bonus,” the sunsets being the real prize. Some of his ashes will be sprinkled in that great fishing spot by the black buoy.
For many years Bob handed out mini candy canes to frazzled store clerks and shoppers during the days before Christmas. Kindness mattered.
After Bob visited an ostrich farm, he said, “I had never been to an ostrich farm. That’s reason enough to do something.”
Bob is survived by: his son, Mark Finch; daughter, Terri Finch Hamilton (T.J.); his sister, Donna Neuber; his loving partner, Mary Ellen Hermann; his grandsons, Tate Hamilton and Tanner Hamilton; and several loving in-laws, nieces, and nephews. Bob was preceded in death by his wife, Patricia Finch.
A celebration of Bob’s life will be held 1:00 PM Monday, Sept. 25, 2023 at The Lee Chapel of Sytsema Funeral and Cremation Services, 6291 S. Harvey St., Norton Shores, MI 49444 (231) 798-1100. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service. He will be laid to rest in Sunrise Memorial Gardens. Donations in memory of Bob may be made to Blue Lake Public Radio. Share memories with the family at their online Guest Book at www.sytsemafh.com
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