Florence, MA – James “Fin” A. Finley Jr., age 78, of Florence passed away on June 3, 2026 at Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton. He was born to the late James and Olive (Cleveland) Finley and grew-up in Plainville, Massachusetts where he was known as “Skip.”
From the time he could hold a bat and ball, he loved and excelled at baseball. He graduated from King Philip High School in Wrentham, MA, Class of 1965, one of the top 5 in his class. While at King Philip, he was a member of the National Honor Society and was involved with many groups including serving as Vice President to the Class Council, Dramatics, multiple class committees, the Basketball team, and of course the Baseball team where he was elected Captain by his peers. James set numerous baseball records–some still hold to this day. Just before graduation, his father received a visit from a representative of the Baltimore Orioles expressing interest in drafting James. His father decreed James was going to college. He attended Northeastern State University and then Utah State University, both on baseball and math scholarships.
James was a decorated Army veteran of the Vietnam War assigned to Military Intelligence where he excelled as a classified documents specialist attaining the rank of Specialist Five (SP5). He earned numerous commendations and awards including the Bronze Star.
Following his discharge from service, James moved to Northampton, MA to attend UMass/Amherst while working full time to support his family. After the death of his first wife, James moved to Amherst, where he was disheartened to find there was no adult softball league, so he co-founded one through the Amherst Recreation Department that continues to this day. In the 80’s, James attended the Wendelstedt Umpire School in Florida and became certified on all levels of baseball including the Majors. He then realized it meant being away from his family for weeks at a time — he chose his family.
James worked for National Evaluation Systems in Amherst, MA, before joining the United States Postal Service. He worked for the Postal Service part-time in South Hadley before moving to full-time in Amherst until his retirement in October 2009. As a postal employee, he was involved with the American Postal Workers’ Union (APWU) for many years serving as Treasurer of the Western Massachusetts Area Local, while also serving as shop steward in Amherst. In addition to his full-time career, James enjoyed sporadically working as a part-time bartender, where he became a familiar face at Barselotti’s and The American Legion, both in Amherst and at Ye ‘Ole Watering Hole in Northampton.
James found great joy and peace spending time outdoors. He loved baseball games, playing softball, fishing, golf and tending to his garden. He will be remembered for his quick wit and sense of humor that often left many in stitches. He was also a master at puns and anyone who dared challenge him learned their lesson.
James will be greatly missed by his beloved wife of over 48 years, Michelle Griffin Finley, daughters, Melissa A. Finley (Sham Kak Soon) of Amherst, Erin M. Finley (Ben Walkinshaw) of Florence, granddaughter Angela Sham of Los Angeles, CA and his brothers Peter D. Finley of Pugwash, Nova Scotia, Canada and Timothy N. Finley of Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada along with many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his first wife, Donna Woolford.
James’ family would like to thank the wonderful staff at Cooley Dickinson Hospital for their professional, caring, compassionate and respectful treatment of James while under their care.
Per Fin’s request no services were held but a celebration of his life (or in his words, “a party”) will be announced by the family at a later date.
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