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- OLIVER DAVIS FINNIGAN JR. '35
Captain Oliver D. Finnigan Jr., USN (Ret.), died on 1 June 2007 in Santa Rosa, CA.
Born in Coatesville, PA, in 1913, "Pat" graduated from Mercersburg Academy and from the Naval Academy with the Class of 1935.
While stationed in Hawaii in 1939, he married Jane Coyle, the daughter of Colonel William Radford Coyle, USMC (Ret.), the U.S. congressman who had appointed Pat to the Academy.
The Finnigan family grew as Pat and Jane moved around the world. Their first child, Tia, was born in Portsmouth in 1940, and son, Dave, was born in Annapolis, MD, in 1941. Pat served in the Pacific Theater throughout World War II, part of that time on the staff of Admiral Arleigh Burke '23. After the war, he served in Washington, DC, where their third child, Margaret, was born in 1946.
Pat attended the Naval War College in Newport, RI, and then went to Guam, where he served for two years as fleet weatherman for the Marianas Islands. He then taught physics at the Naval Academy for two years. The family lived in Virginia Beach, VA, while then-Commander Finnigan skippered the tanker CHIPOLA in support of fleet operations in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. Next, the family reported to Sasebo, Japan, where Pat, promoted to captain, held the brevet rank of commodore, commanding a flotilla of wooden-hulled non-magnetic minesweepers with an LST for his flagship. Duty included clearing Korean waters of mines following the Korean Conflict. No matter where in the world the Finnigan family found themselves, they spent most summers in Barnstable, MA, through 1963.
Pat's next posting was as director of Morale Services for the Navy. Two prestigious and exciting assignments rounded out Pat's 31-year career. He served two years as naval attaché to Canada, stationed at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa; and was commanding officer of the U.S. Naval Station, Newport, RI, when President Kennedy visited as a spectator for the America's Cup races in 1962.
The Finnigans retired to Winter Park, FL, in 1966, and Jane passed away in 1986. Pat married Leah Thompson, a Navy widow, and they lived in St. Petersburg, FL, until she passed away in November 2005. Captain Finnigan is survived by his three children, Tia, Dave and Margaret; nine grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. Services will be held at a future date at Arlington National Cemetery.
-The Finnigan Family
-Shipmate September 2007, page 122.
Gravesite Details
CAPT US NAVY
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1913 - 2007 (93 years)
