On March 11, 2015, surrounded by his loved ones at his home in Manchester, Edward Kenneth Finney, aged 85, passed peacefully from this life to the next.
The son of the late Jesse Lawrence and Elizabeth Little Finney of Decherd, he married the love of his life Dorothy LaVerne Boyd, also of Decherd, on May 28, 1948.
In 1957, they moved from Franklin County to Coffee County, buying their first diary farm in the Sixteenth Model community. As a professional farmer, he row-cropped, administered a Grade-A dairy, and specialized in raising and selling heifer clav As an active member of both the church and community, Mr. Finney and his family attended the Antioch Church of Christ, where he served as an Elder for twenty-six years. Additionally, he served as president of the Coffee County Farm Bureau for three years, sitting on the Board of Directors for more than fifty years. Likewise, he served on both the Duck River Electric and Coffee County Farmers Co-Op boards of directors. While farming, he received many accolades, including the Farmer of the Year in 1978 and the Heritage Farm Award in 2008. Mr. Finney stated, “The Lord has blessed me throughout my life. I could not have done this without Him and my family.”
He is preceded in death by his infant son, Marvin Earl Finney; his brother, Elroy Finney; and his half-brother, Howard Warren.
His survivors include his wife of sixty-six years, Dorothy LaVerne Finney; his sons: James (Roberta) Finney, Larry (Patricia) Finney, and Dewayne (Connie) Finney, all of Manchester; his daughters: Alma (Terry Wayne) Cowan of Hillsboro, Valda Barrett, Doris (Marlin) McCullough both of Manchester, and Phyllis (Richard) Bishop of Winchester; his brother: Bobby (Regina) Finney of Decherd; and his sisters: Henrietta Van Natter, Elizabeth Ann (Cornell) Meeker, both of Kokomo, IN, Sue (Pete) Raney of Culter, IN, Jo Ella (Ulyless) Partin of Manchester, Mary Walls and Margaret (Gary) Rigsby, both of Decherd. He had nine grandchildren, two step-grandsons, eight great-grandchildren, and six step great-grandchildren, as well as several nieces and nephews.
Visitation for Mr. Finney will be held from 4:00 to 8:00 on Friday, March 13, at Central Funeral Home in Manchester, TN, as well as on Saturday, March 14, with a tribute to his life, officiated by Edward Scot Crosslin, following at 1:00 P.M.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice Compasses, Alzheimer’s Association, or Juvenile Diabetes.
VISITATION
Friday, March 13, 2015, 4 p.m. – 8 p.m. and Saturday, March 14, 2015 prior to Funeral Service at Central Funeral Home in Manchester, Tennessee
SERVICE of TRIBUTE
Saturday, March 14, 2015 at 1:00 p.m. at Central Funeral Home
OFFICIANTS
Edward Scot Crosslin and Thomas L. Crosslin
BURIAL
Franklin Memorial Gardens, Winchester, Tennessee
Central Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.