Luke William Finlay Jr., loving husband, father and grandfather, passed away on February 14, 2022, at Stonebridge in Skillman, NJ.
Luke was born in New Haven, CT on May 2, 1934, to Annie Sue Tucker and Brig. Gen. Luke William Finlay. Luke was a spirited young man, determined to overcome a childhood infection which debilitated his right leg for several years.
He graduated from the Landon School in 1952 with turns in the glee and drama clubs, and as a proud member of the championship tennis team, where he undoubtedly flummoxed opponents with a crafty left-handed serve. Luke graduated from Yale in 1957 as a member of Chi Psi fraternity.
He met and betrothed Susan Wells of Rochester, NY in 1958 and the pair moved to Long Island where Luke began a short career at Exxon before purchasing a sports car dealership in Syracuse, NY in 1959. At this time, he embarked on a short-lived career as a professional race car driver, guiding British MGs around famous tracks such as Watkins Glen and Lime Rock.
Family life beckoned however, and in 1964, Luke began a lengthy career with Rochester-based Lawyers Cooperative Publishing Company, first at company headquarters, then leading up their Washington, DC operations in 1972. The family moved to Annapolis, MD in 1979, and the Chesapeake Bay area quickly became home for the Finlay family.
Luke’s greatest love was Cherry Point, the family’s waterside retreat on the eastern shore of Maryland, which over the years hosted countless gatherings of friends and family. He played a major role in its conception and design in 1992 and while there, was always at the beck and call of his eleven grandchildren.
Luke is predeceased by his parents and his grandson, Nicholas Frederick Finlay. He is survived by his wife Susan, of Skillman, NJ, son Luke (Lee Ann) of Simpsonville, SC, daughters Lisa, of Durham, NC and Laura Hanson (Alex), of Pennington, NJ, son Matthew (Teresa) of Mendham, NJ and grandchildren Will, Hanna, Fritz, Sam, Noelle, Eliza (Taylor), Abby (Nate), Perry, Walker, Oliver and Christian.
In lieu of flowers, Luke may be remembered with a memorial contribution to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, 6 Herndon Ave, Annapolis, MD 21403, or at www.cbf.org/memorial.
Arrangements are under the direction of Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, Princeton, NJ.