Obituary of Shirley "Lee" Etta Finch

FINCH: Early in the morning on Tuesday, May 13th, 2014, Shirley (Lee) Etta Finch (née Armstrong) of Brandon, Manitoba, quietly left to be with her Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Lee was born on March 14, 1927, in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Her early years were spent in Eastend, Saskatchewan, among rolling hills, where she learned to ride horses and to love nature. Her next move was to Morris, Manitoba, where she spent her school years. From there, she moved to United College in Winnipeg and then on to Brandon College, where she completed her Bachelor of Arts. It was at United College that she met her future husband, Edward John Finch, one of the many veterans who began university after the Second World War. They were married on the 14th of May, 1949, and first lived in Stonewall, Manitoba, where Edward was articled to a lawyer while attending Law school in Winnipeg. Shortly after his graduation, the couple moved to Brandon, where Edward began employment in the Land Titles office. During their early years in Brandon, Lee worked in a number of positions, but she most enjoyed her work as library assistant at Brandon College (now Brandon University), where she helped to establish a film services department. While working at the college, Lee met a young Asian girl who had come to Canada to attend university. Lee and Ed eventually invited her to live with them until she completed her studies. Over the years, their relationship deepened and they became a family, maintaining a close relationship with each other to this day, long after her eventual return to Hong Kong. Lee was beautiful, poised and gracious. She always knew what she wanted and worked hard to achieve those goals. She was musically and artistically talented and enjoyed decorating, sewing and working on her doll houses. Ed and Lee spent many happy years at both their country home in Kemnay and at their summer cottage at Killarney Lake, where they were able to enjoy the beauty of nature and spend time in the company of family and friends. They moved briefly to British Columbia during the nineties, but ultimately decided to return to the prairies, settling in Brandon to be closer to loved ones again. Lee and Ed attended St. George's Anglican Church in Brandon. Due to the strong biblical teaching Lee received at both St. George's Church and the many diocesan spiritual renewal conferences she attended, her faith continued to grow and she took on many responsibilities within the church, such as leadership in Bible studies, conducting the choir and playing the organ for many years. Lee was predeceased by her father and mother, Percival and Margaret Armstrong, and her brother Austin (Fan) Armstrong. She is survived by her husband Edward Finch, her "adopted" daughter Irene (Simon) Li and family, her brother-in-law Wilfred Finch, and many nieces and nephews and their families. The family would like to thank all those employed at Dinsdale Personal Care Home for their loving and compassionate care for Lee during her years at the home, and the Dinsdale Board for its decision to accept Edward into the Home so that he could be close to Lee during her final months. The funeral service was held on May 29th, 2014 at 2:00 p.m. in St. George's Anglican Church in Brandon with Father Chad McCharles and The Rev. Canon Jim Brown officiating. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. George's Anglican Church or to a charity of one's choice.