Rev. Clyde Lee Finley, 91, passed away December 8, 2018.
Clyde was born in Anniston, Alabama on March 17, 1927 to Ernest Edward and Dollie Finley.
In 1944, Clyde joined the U.S. Navy and served his country aboard the USS Savo Island in the Pacific Sector during World War II. His naval career was brief but transformative. He joined on his 17th birthday, March 17, 1944, and shortly thereafter was sent to San Diego, California where he became part of the crew of the “Savo Sue,” CVE-78. In this capacity, he participated in the Palaus campaign and the famous Battle of Leyte Gulf in 1944. The USS Savo Island also supported landings at Mindoro and at Lingayen Gulf and Luzon. In March and April of 1944 the Savo Island provided air support for the Okinawa campaign, and its crew joined the occupation forces after the Japanese surrendered. In 1945, Clyde was at Tokyo Bay where he witnessed the surrender ceremonies led by General Douglas MacArthur. The USS Savo Island ended the war as part of the Magic Carpet Fleet that returned servicemen to the United States. Clyde was honorably discharged in Boston on March 16, 1946 as a second-class petty officer and took a bus back to his hometown in Anniston, Alabama.
The U.S. Navy provided the resources with the G.I. Bill that sent Clyde to college. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Samford University in 1954, his Master of Divinity from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1958 and an honorary Doctor of Philosophy from the Fredericksburg Bible Institute and Seminary in 1988. He held 8 pastorates during his career as a Baptist minister, 3 long-term interim posts in retirement and he taught theology for both the Fredericksburg Bible Institute and Seminary and the University of Richmond.
A Protestant minister who led churches in Alabama, Kentucky, and Virginia from 1949 to 1999, he worked as a missionary to Cuba in 1949 and to Tanzania in 1988. He was a caring pastor and gifted interpreter of the Bible. He was blessed with a long and active life; his influence was wide-ranging, touching several generations of parishioners, from diverse walks of life. He had a special gift for expressing love, and inspired others to live nobler, more dedicated, and more generous lives.
Clyde met his future wife, Eula Bullard, in 1948 and they married in 1950. The couple attended Howard College in Birmingham, Alabama known today as Samford University. Clyde majored in psychology and religion in undergraduate school and divinity in seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Clyde was the first member of his family to attend college and graduate school.
The Reverend Finley’s long career in the ministry included serving the following churches: Long Island Mission, Long Island, Alabama, 1948, Macedonia Baptist Church, Jemison, Alabama, 1952-1954, Clear Run Baptist Church, Ohio County, Kentucky, 1954-1956, Centertown Baptist Church, Centertown, Kentucky, 1956-1959, Marshall Baptist Church, Marshall, Virginia, 1959-1962, Second Baptist Church, Martinsburg, West Virginia, 1962-1967, Grove Park Baptist Church, Portsmouth, Virginia, 1967-1974, Riverview Baptist Church, Woodbridge, Virginia, 1974-1993. He was also an interim pastor at 3 churches in retirement: Hulls Memorial, Wallers Baptist, and Richland Baptist, all in northern Virginia.
After retirement Clyde and Eula built a beautiful home in Fredericksburg, Virginia where they socialized with many retired ministers and wives from the northern Virginia area. Their final home together was in Norfolk, Virginia where they developed strong bonds with their neighbors at “The Landings” and with the congregation at Freemason Street Baptist Church, part of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and the Virginia Baptist General Association of Virginia.
A loving husband and father, Clyde was devoted to his wife, Eula, and was most proud of his son, a Professor of English at Haverford College, and his daughter, a Professor of History at Old Dominion University. Clyde bragged constantly about all of his grandsons, each of whom he loved dearly. He felt blessed to have lived long enough to have had two great-grandsons.
Survived by his wife of 68 years, Eula Bullard Finley; son, Professor C. Stephen (Lillian) Finley; daughter, Professor Annette (Chip) Finley-Croswhite; 4 grandsons and 2 great-grandsons, Aidan (Courtney) Finley, Aaron Finley, Alex Croswhite, Matthew Croswhite, Graham Finley and Hugh Finley; sisters Helen Thomas and Betty Lou Wills; brother Ralph Finley; and many nieces and nephews.
Predeceased by his parents and brother, Herdice Finley.
A memorial celebrating his life will be held December 15th at Freemason Street Baptist Church, 400 E. Freemason Street, Norfolk, Virginia. Burial will be private in a Veteran’s Cemetery in January.
Clyde was born in Anniston, Alabama on March 17, 1927 to Ernest Edward and Dollie Finley.
In 1944, Clyde joined the U.S. Navy and served his country aboard the USS Savo Island in the Pacific Sector during World War II. His naval career was brief but transformative. He joined on his 17th birthday, March 17, 1944, and shortly thereafter was sent to San Diego, California where he became part of the crew of the “Savo Sue,” CVE-78. In this capacity, he participated in the Palaus campaign and the famous Battle of Leyte Gulf in 1944. The USS Savo Island also supported landings at Mindoro and at Lingayen Gulf and Luzon. In March and April of 1944 the Savo Island provided air support for the Okinawa campaign, and its crew joined the occupation forces after the Japanese surrendered. In 1945, Clyde was at Tokyo Bay where he witnessed the surrender ceremonies led by General Douglas MacArthur. The USS Savo Island ended the war as part of the Magic Carpet Fleet that returned servicemen to the United States. Clyde was honorably discharged in Boston on March 16, 1946 as a second-class petty officer and took a bus back to his hometown in Anniston, Alabama.
The U.S. Navy provided the resources with the G.I. Bill that sent Clyde to college. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Samford University in 1954, his Master of Divinity from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1958 and an honorary Doctor of Philosophy from the Fredericksburg Bible Institute and Seminary in 1988. He held 8 pastorates during his career as a Baptist minister, 3 long-term interim posts in retirement and he taught theology for both the Fredericksburg Bible Institute and Seminary and the University of Richmond.
A Protestant minister who led churches in Alabama, Kentucky, and Virginia from 1949 to 1999, he worked as a missionary to Cuba in 1949 and to Tanzania in 1988. He was a caring pastor and gifted interpreter of the Bible. He was blessed with a long and active life; his influence was wide-ranging, touching several generations of parishioners, from diverse walks of life. He had a special gift for expressing love, and inspired others to live nobler, more dedicated, and more generous lives.
Clyde met his future wife, Eula Bullard, in 1948 and they married in 1950. The couple attended Howard College in Birmingham, Alabama known today as Samford University. Clyde majored in psychology and religion in undergraduate school and divinity in seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Clyde was the first member of his family to attend college and graduate school.
The Reverend Finley’s long career in the ministry included serving the following churches: Long Island Mission, Long Island, Alabama, 1948, Macedonia Baptist Church, Jemison, Alabama, 1952-1954, Clear Run Baptist Church, Ohio County, Kentucky, 1954-1956, Centertown Baptist Church, Centertown, Kentucky, 1956-1959, Marshall Baptist Church, Marshall, Virginia, 1959-1962, Second Baptist Church, Martinsburg, West Virginia, 1962-1967, Grove Park Baptist Church, Portsmouth, Virginia, 1967-1974, Riverview Baptist Church, Woodbridge, Virginia, 1974-1993. He was also an interim pastor at 3 churches in retirement: Hulls Memorial, Wallers Baptist, and Richland Baptist, all in northern Virginia.
After retirement Clyde and Eula built a beautiful home in Fredericksburg, Virginia where they socialized with many retired ministers and wives from the northern Virginia area. Their final home together was in Norfolk, Virginia where they developed strong bonds with their neighbors at “The Landings” and with the congregation at Freemason Street Baptist Church, part of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and the Virginia Baptist General Association of Virginia.
A loving husband and father, Clyde was devoted to his wife, Eula, and was most proud of his son, a Professor of English at Haverford College, and his daughter, a Professor of History at Old Dominion University. Clyde bragged constantly about all of his grandsons, each of whom he loved dearly. He felt blessed to have lived long enough to have had two great-grandsons.
Survived by his wife of 68 years, Eula Bullard Finley; son, Professor C. Stephen (Lillian) Finley; daughter, Professor Annette (Chip) Finley-Croswhite; 4 grandsons and 2 great-grandsons, Aidan (Courtney) Finley, Aaron Finley, Alex Croswhite, Matthew Croswhite, Graham Finley and Hugh Finley; sisters Helen Thomas and Betty Lou Wills; brother Ralph Finley; and many nieces and nephews.
Predeceased by his parents and brother, Herdice Finley.
A memorial celebrating his life will be held December 15th at Freemason Street Baptist Church, 400 E. Freemason Street, Norfolk, Virginia. Burial will be private in a Veteran’s Cemetery in January.
Rev. Clyde Lee Finley, 91, passed away December 8, 2018.
Clyde was born in Anniston, Alabama on March 17, 1927 to Ernest Edward and Dollie Finley.
In 1944, Clyde joined the U.S. Navy and served his country aboard the USS Savo Island in the Pacific Sector during World War II. His naval career was brief but transformative. He joined on his 17th birthday, March 17, 1944, and shortly thereafter was sent to San Diego, California where he became part of the crew of the “Savo Sue,” CVE-78. In this capacity, he participated in the Palaus campaign and the famous Battle of Leyte Gulf in 1944. The USS Savo Island also supported landings at Mindoro and at Lingayen Gulf and Luzon. In March and April of 1944 the Savo Island provided air support for the Okinawa campaign, and its crew joined the occupation forces after the Japanese surrendered. In 1945, Clyde was at Tokyo Bay where he witnessed the surrender ceremonies led by General Douglas MacArthur. The USS Savo Island ended the war as part of the Magic Carpet Fleet that returned servicemen to the United States. Clyde was honorably discharged in Boston on March 16, 1946 as a second-class petty officer and took a bus back to his hometown in Anniston, Alabama.
The U.S. Navy provided the resources with the G.I. Bill that sent Clyde to college. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Samford University in 1954, his Master of Divinity from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1958 and an honorary Doctor of Philosophy from the Fredericksburg Bible Institute and Seminary in 1988. He held 8 pastorates during his career as a Baptist minister, 3 long-term interim posts in retirement and he taught theology for both the Fredericksburg Bible Institute and Seminary and the University of Richmond.
A Protestant minister who led churches in Alabama, Kentucky, and Virginia from 1949 to 1999, he worked as a missionary to Cuba in 1949 and to Tanzania in 1988. He was a caring pastor and gifted interpreter of the Bible. He was blessed with a long and active life; his influence was wide-ranging, touching several generations of parishioners, from diverse walks of life. He had a special gift for expressing love, and inspired others to live nobler, more dedicated, and more generous lives.
Clyde met his future wife, Eula Bullard, in 1948 and they married in 1950. The couple attended Howard College in Birmingham, Alabama known today as Samford University. Clyde majored in psychology and religion in undergraduate school and divinity in seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Clyde was the first member of his family to attend college and graduate school.
The Reverend Finley’s long career in the ministry included serving the following churches: Long Island Mission, Long Island, Alabama, 1948, Macedonia Baptist Church, Jemison, Alabama, 1952-1954, Clear Run Baptist Church, Ohio County, Kentucky, 1954-1956, Centertown Baptist Church, Centertown, Kentucky, 1956-1959, Marshall Baptist Church, Marshall, Virginia, 1959-1962, Second Baptist Church, Martinsburg, West Virginia, 1962-1967, Grove Park Baptist Church, Portsmouth, Virginia, 1967-1974, Riverview Baptist Church, Woodbridge, Virginia, 1974-1993. He was also an interim pastor at 3 churches in retirement: Hulls Memorial, Wallers Baptist, and Richland Baptist, all in northern Virginia.
After retirement Clyde and Eula built a beautiful home in Fredericksburg, Virginia where they socialized with many retired ministers and wives from the northern Virginia area. Their final home together was in Norfolk, Virginia where they developed strong bonds with their neighbors at “The Landings” and with the congregation at Freemason Street Baptist Church, part of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and the Virginia Baptist General Association of Virginia.
A loving husband and father, Clyde was devoted to his wife, Eula, and was most proud of his son, a Professor of English at Haverford College, and his daughter, a Professor of History at Old Dominion University. Clyde bragged constantly about all of his grandsons, each of whom he loved dearly. He felt blessed to have lived long enough to have had two great-grandsons.
Survived by his wife of 68 years, Eula Bullard Finley; son, Professor C. Stephen (Lillian) Finley; daughter, Professor Annette (Chip) Finley-Croswhite; 4 grandsons and 2 great-grandsons, Aidan (Courtney) Finley, Aaron Finley, Alex Croswhite, Matthew Croswhite, Graham Finley and Hugh Finley; sisters Helen Thomas and Betty Lou Wills; brother Ralph Finley; and many nieces and nephews.
Predeceased by his parents and brother, Herdice Finley.
A memorial celebrating his life will be held December 15th at Freemason Street Baptist Church, 400 E. Freemason Street, Norfolk, Virginia. Burial will be private in a Veteran’s Cemetery in January.
Clyde was born in Anniston, Alabama on March 17, 1927 to Ernest Edward and Dollie Finley.
In 1944, Clyde joined the U.S. Navy and served his country aboard the USS Savo Island in the Pacific Sector during World War II. His naval career was brief but transformative. He joined on his 17th birthday, March 17, 1944, and shortly thereafter was sent to San Diego, California where he became part of the crew of the “Savo Sue,” CVE-78. In this capacity, he participated in the Palaus campaign and the famous Battle of Leyte Gulf in 1944. The USS Savo Island also supported landings at Mindoro and at Lingayen Gulf and Luzon. In March and April of 1944 the Savo Island provided air support for the Okinawa campaign, and its crew joined the occupation forces after the Japanese surrendered. In 1945, Clyde was at Tokyo Bay where he witnessed the surrender ceremonies led by General Douglas MacArthur. The USS Savo Island ended the war as part of the Magic Carpet Fleet that returned servicemen to the United States. Clyde was honorably discharged in Boston on March 16, 1946 as a second-class petty officer and took a bus back to his hometown in Anniston, Alabama.
The U.S. Navy provided the resources with the G.I. Bill that sent Clyde to college. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Samford University in 1954, his Master of Divinity from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1958 and an honorary Doctor of Philosophy from the Fredericksburg Bible Institute and Seminary in 1988. He held 8 pastorates during his career as a Baptist minister, 3 long-term interim posts in retirement and he taught theology for both the Fredericksburg Bible Institute and Seminary and the University of Richmond.
A Protestant minister who led churches in Alabama, Kentucky, and Virginia from 1949 to 1999, he worked as a missionary to Cuba in 1949 and to Tanzania in 1988. He was a caring pastor and gifted interpreter of the Bible. He was blessed with a long and active life; his influence was wide-ranging, touching several generations of parishioners, from diverse walks of life. He had a special gift for expressing love, and inspired others to live nobler, more dedicated, and more generous lives.
Clyde met his future wife, Eula Bullard, in 1948 and they married in 1950. The couple attended Howard College in Birmingham, Alabama known today as Samford University. Clyde majored in psychology and religion in undergraduate school and divinity in seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Clyde was the first member of his family to attend college and graduate school.
The Reverend Finley’s long career in the ministry included serving the following churches: Long Island Mission, Long Island, Alabama, 1948, Macedonia Baptist Church, Jemison, Alabama, 1952-1954, Clear Run Baptist Church, Ohio County, Kentucky, 1954-1956, Centertown Baptist Church, Centertown, Kentucky, 1956-1959, Marshall Baptist Church, Marshall, Virginia, 1959-1962, Second Baptist Church, Martinsburg, West Virginia, 1962-1967, Grove Park Baptist Church, Portsmouth, Virginia, 1967-1974, Riverview Baptist Church, Woodbridge, Virginia, 1974-1993. He was also an interim pastor at 3 churches in retirement: Hulls Memorial, Wallers Baptist, and Richland Baptist, all in northern Virginia.
After retirement Clyde and Eula built a beautiful home in Fredericksburg, Virginia where they socialized with many retired ministers and wives from the northern Virginia area. Their final home together was in Norfolk, Virginia where they developed strong bonds with their neighbors at “The Landings” and with the congregation at Freemason Street Baptist Church, part of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and the Virginia Baptist General Association of Virginia.
A loving husband and father, Clyde was devoted to his wife, Eula, and was most proud of his son, a Professor of English at Haverford College, and his daughter, a Professor of History at Old Dominion University. Clyde bragged constantly about all of his grandsons, each of whom he loved dearly. He felt blessed to have lived long enough to have had two great-grandsons.
Survived by his wife of 68 years, Eula Bullard Finley; son, Professor C. Stephen (Lillian) Finley; daughter, Professor Annette (Chip) Finley-Croswhite; 4 grandsons and 2 great-grandsons, Aidan (Courtney) Finley, Aaron Finley, Alex Croswhite, Matthew Croswhite, Graham Finley and Hugh Finley; sisters Helen Thomas and Betty Lou Wills; brother Ralph Finley; and many nieces and nephews.
Predeceased by his parents and brother, Herdice Finley.
A memorial celebrating his life will be held December 15th at Freemason Street Baptist Church, 400 E. Freemason Street, Norfolk, Virginia. Burial will be private in a Veteran’s Cemetery in January.
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Advertisement
