I remember Curt Finch and his kindness in putting up with all of us pesky kids in Paxson 20 years ago.  We really looked forward to his visits when he would come to fix things at the school.  I even remember one time when they came to thaw our water pipes after a particularly vicious cold spell.  He was certainly the most popular man around then!  His kindness towards all of us continued for many years.   It was always fun to see him at church and at school.

I particularly remember how he perched high up on scaffolding in the high school library, hanging long “noodles” of curled foil for us as we (the Junior Class) decorated the library for the prom.  I think he didn’t exactly know what he was getting into (and neither did we) when we decided to decorate the whole ceiling with those silly things.  He was probably regretting the fact that Brent was in our class and so roped his dad into helping us!  But he helped us anyway.  I’m sure many more stories will be told about how he took care of anyone who needed help in Glennallen and other places too.

I probably haven’t even thought about the Finches since last August when Jan came to our wedding reception in Anchorage and I don’t know how long it had been since I’d seen Curt.  I haven’t lived in Glennallen since early 2000 so it’s been a long time since I had any kind of regular contact with him.  Nonetheless, I’ve felt particularly sad and bereft today.   I’m so sad for Jan, Brent, Chad, and their other kids.

Farewell, Curt. We’ll miss you greatly.