George T. Finnegan
1/11/12
George Theodore (Ted) Finnegan, of South Boston MA, and formerly of Milton MA, passed away peacefully in the company of his family at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge on Monday, January 2, of respiratory arrest, two weeks shy of his 90th birthday.

This marked the end of a distinctive life defined by a long record of selfless, distinguished service to his country, family and community - fully in keeping with that of other members of what is often characterized as the “Greatest Generation”.

  Ted was born in Boston on January 16, 1922 to George T. Finnegan Sr. and Mary Stella Bell. He was the second of three children, positioned between his older sister Mary Stella “Star” and his younger brother J. Paul. The family was a loving tight-knit unit, and all three siblings remained very close throughout their long lives.

Ted grew up on Concord Ave in Milton with summers spent in Scituate, where he developed his life-long love of everything related to sailing and the sea. He attended elementary schools in Milton, and also attended the New England Conservatory of Music on weekends through his high school years, where he developed a solid basis in classical piano and a particular talent for playing spontaneously by ear.

He went on to attend Boston College High School, where he was a good athlete and an outstanding student, graduating at the top of his 1939 class. Ted then attended Harvard College, Class of 1943, and majored in Bio-Chemical Sciences in order to earn the science and advanced math credits required to qualify for admission to the U.S. Naval Academy, earning a John Harvard merit scholarship for academic distinction in the process. After two years at Harvard, he secured admission to the United States Naval Academy as the top recommended candidate from Massachusetts, graduating with high distinction as 6th of over 900 cadets in the Naval Academy Class of 1945.

During his Naval Academy years he met his future wife, Elizabeth Lee of Davenport and Marshalltown Iowa, who was attending Trinity College in Washington DC. They were married shortly after his graduation, in the autumn of 1944. Ted was first deployed to serve in the Pacific theater as an officer aboard the Fletcher-class destroyer USS Cassin Young, which is now permanently stationed as an exhibit of the National Historic Park at the Charlestown Navy Yard. During Ted’s deployment on the Cassin Young, it played a major role both in the battle for Iwo Jima and the subsequent assault on Okinawa, earning a Navy Unit commendation for Distinguished Service and Gallantry. It had the additional distinction of being the last naval vessel to be to be hit by kamikaze attacks in WWII. For those with an interest, the official web link is http://www.nps.gov/bost/historyculture/usscassinyoung.htm.

After the war, Ted trained as a Naval Aviator in the Navy Air Corps and served in French Morocco, patrolling the “Iron Curtain” from the Middle East throughout Europe and up into Scandinavia. He was next assigned to the top secret U.S. Air Force Special Weapons Project at Albuquerque, New Mexico, and subsequently was selected to serve as a member of the Navy’s new atomic bombing squadron based in Palo Alto, California.

In 1948, Ted’s Navy career was interrupted by special family circumstances that necessitated his relocation with his family back to the Boston area and civilian life. Upon their return, the family moved back to Concord Ave and subsequently to Columbine Road in Milton. Ted applied to graduate programs at Harvard in law, medicine and business and after being accepted to all three, made the decision to attend Harvard Law School. He graduated with honors in 1952 and was selected to clerk for the Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Court. He then joined the law firm of Ropes & Gray where he practiced law for more than 40 years as a member of the litigation department. He retired from active practice in 1994, continuing on a part time basis to develop a highly regarded jury trial practice program for young attorneys at the firm. In addition to his responsibilities at Ropes & Gray he taught jury trial practice courses for MCLE at Harvard Law School and Boston University Law School.

During his residency in Milton, in addition to raising his family, Ted managed zoning issues for the Town and functioned for many years as a popular coach for the Milton Little League. During his subsequent residency in South Boston, Ted served many of the local parishes and pastors as music director, cantor and organist. He also maintained an active role as a member of the USS Cassin Young Association and was the ship’s oldest living WWII officer, functioning as a living research source and as speaker for special ceremonies and tours.

During the last 8-10 years Ted maintained his full and active life. He was a board member of the Castle Island Association and pianist for the Association’s choral group. During this same period he remained devoted to his older sister, Stella, during her stay at Marian Manor - visiting her on a daily basis, accompanying her to daily mass, and at the same time serving as the organist at the daily 10:00 AM service. He also served as the cantor and pianist for the choral group at Marian Manor. Lastly, Ted remained an exceptionally vigorous, attentive, and beloved patriarch to his large extended family right up until his last day of life - for which we will all be eternally grateful.

He is survived by 4 of his 5 children and their spouses: Catherine and Dr. Michael Shortsleeve of Lincoln, MA. Robert Finnegan and Kyung Hee Kim of Washington, DC, Maliz and Jim Beams of Weston, MA, and Eileen Finnegan of Boston, MA. He also leaves ten grandchildren and six great grandchildren, all of whom will miss him very much: Brian Shortsleeve of Boston MA with his wife Liz and their children Ted & Patrick, Dr. Christine Shortsleeve Ament of Brookline, MA with her husband Dave and their children Riley, Haley & Jasper, Cara Shortsleeve of Boston, MA with her husband Nick Whitman and their son Finnegan, and Michelle Shortsleeve of New Haven, CT; Elizabeth, Stephen & Catherine Victoria Finnegan all of Washington DC; and Morgan Lee, Robert & Keaton Beams all of Weston, MA. Ted is also survived by his sister-in-law Evelyn Finnegan of Scituate, MA, and his two nephews: Paul Finnegan of Evanston, IL with his wife Mary and their children Katherine, Paul & Alex; and Peter Finnegan of Hanover, MA with his wife Lisa and their children Sara, Peter & Katelynne. Lastly, he leaves behind his beloved sister Stella Collins currently residing at Marion Manor, along with her children and their families.

Funeral services will be held privately. An open Memorial Service to celebrate Ted’s life will be held in conjunction with the Harvard Catholic Center on Saturday February 4, 2012 at 11:00 am at St. Paul’s Church, 29 Mt Auburn Street in Cambridge, MA. A reception will be held for all friends of Ted and his family immediately after the Service at St. Paul’s. Any donations in memory of Ted should be sent to the Massachusetts Soldiers’ Legacy Fund at https://www.fundraise.com/mslf/tedfinneganmemorial. Tel (866)-856-5533. Casper Funeral Services, 187 Dorchester Street, Boston, MA 02127 (617) 269-1930.