Marilyn Finley

Marilyn Cathalene Finley, 89, of Aberdeen, SD, passed away Saturday, October 7, 2023, at Touchmark @ All Saints, Sioux Falls, SD, where she had been a resident since July 2017.

Mass of Christian Burial will be at 2:00 p.m., Friday, October 20, 2023, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Aberdeen, with Father Mitchell McLaughlin officiating.

A time of fellowship and refreshments will be after the service at the parish hall.

Burial will be at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery, Ipswich, SD, following the refreshments.

Visitation is 5-7 p.m., Thursday, at the mortuary with a liturgical wake at 7 p.m.  Visitation continues one hour before Mass at the church.

Schriver’s Memorial Mortuary and Crematory, 414 5th Avenue NW, Aberdeen, is in charge of arrangements.  Family and friends may sign the online guestbook at www.schriversmemorial.com.

Marilyn Cathalene Finley was born on March 13, 1934, in Ipswich, SD to the late Mildred Finley and spent her younger years on a farm/ranch near Beebe, SD with her grandmother Lucinda Finley and doting uncles and aunts.  It was there she developed her lifelong love of horses, especially her pony Tiny.  When the family moved to Ipswich, SD, Marilyn attended Holy Cross School through eighth grade and graduated from Ipswich High School in 1952 before moving to Aberdeen to attend college.  She graduated from Presentation Junior College in 1955 with a two-year certificate in Secretarial Science and worked as secretary to the Director of Purchases.  She received her Bachelor of Science in Education degree from Northern State Teachers College (now Northern State University) in 1959.  While teaching secretarial science and business at Presentation College, she earned her Master of Science in Education degree in 1965 from Northern State College.  She taught at Presentation Junior College until her retirement.

Marilyn lived with and cared for her beloved Uncle Patrick Finley in Aberdeen until his death in 1975.  While Marilyn was not married and had no children, she thought of the Pitsor family of Black Hawk, SD as her own and loved her special times with Mary Ann, Mel, and their children Andy, Marissa, and Trevor.  She had a fun-loving spirit and a great sense of humor.  Marilyn played piano, spoke French, loved old movies and all types of music, and spent many hours listening to her wide range of 78 albums on her stereo turntable.

For Marilyn, her strong faith was the most important in her life.  A devout Catholic, she attended daily Mass and gave much of her time in volunteer service to Sacred Heart Catholic Church and Avera St. Luke’s Hospital both in Aberdeen until her disease overtook her.  Although Alzheimer’s robbed Marilyn of most of her memories, she could still recite her prayers and seemed most at peace when staff and visitors would pray with her.

Marilyn is survived by her Uncle Don & Aunt Barbara Finley’s children, Deb Finley Conver (Steve, Great Falls, VA, and daughter Stacey Hecht (Mike); Cheryl Finley Gabriel of Aberdeen and daughter Carmella Keuser (Franz), Omaha, NE; Garey Finley (Patty) of Bath and daughter Chris; Terry Finley (Anna) of Corbett, OR; and Jim Finley (Heather) of Bridge City, TX and daughter Keelin; and much-loved members of the Kramer and Willis families of La Crosse, WI.