Drew Vern Finley, Jr.

Drew Vern Finley Jr. died peacefully October 14, 2012, after a brief illness. He was born July 10, 1921, in Oklahoma City to Drew Vern Finley Sr. and Rachel Baldwin Finley. The family lived in Chickasha, OK, until 1932 when they moved to Shawnee. He attended Woodrow Wilson Elementary and graduated from Shawnee High School in 1939, then attended Neff's Business School for one year before enrolling at the University of Oklahoma. In 1941, Drew met the love of his life, Dorothy Dillon who he later married on October 23, 1943. He was commissioned with his OU ROTC class in May of 1943 and stationed at Leyte in the Philippines in September of 1945, where he served as a liaison pilot. The following year, he was released from active duty and finished his education at OU. In 1947, Drew opened the accounting office that later became Finley & Cook. He was honorably discharged from the Army Reserves in 1954. He and Dorothy raised their family in Shawnee and after retirement became "Snowbirds" wintering in Tucson, AZ. In 1995, they became fulltime Arizonans until the Fall of 2007 when they moved to Epworth Villa in Oklahoma City. Drew is survived by his wife of 69 years, Dorothy; daughter, Janet Riggan (A.V. Peoples); son, Richard (Teresa) Finley; four grandchildren, Blake (Amy) Pellow, Brandon (Trisha) Pellow, Lindsay (Brad) Hanna, and Blake Finley; eight great grandchildren, Jack, Libby, Finley, Amelia, Drew, Olive, Hunter and Hallie; and last, but not least, his dog nappin' buddy, and best friend, Max. The family would like to thank the staff and personnel of Epworth Villa, the doctors and nurses at Mercy Hospital, Judy Rhodes, his personal caregiver, and Laura Lynn Homecare. A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, October 17, at 2pm at Brill Chapel at Epworth Villa. Donations may be made to the Epworth Villa Benevolent Fund, 14901 N. Penn., Oklahoma City, OK 73134 or the charity of your choice.