Robert Wright Finley Jr. (Bob Finley) passed away peacefully on October 17th, at the age of 96. 

He was born in Washington, DC into a military (Coast Guard) family and grew up attending schools in Mobile, New Orleans, Washington DC and Seattle. He graduated from Seattle’s Roosevelt High School in 1948 and proceeded to attend Washington State University (WSU). There he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. In 1949, Bob met his future wife, Nadine Hanford, of Oakesdale, WA, who first caught his eye as member of the WSU cheerleading squad. Bob was so taken with Nadine he joined the cheerleading squad and became a Yell King. Upon graduation from WSU, Bob was awarded a BS in Industrial Psychology, designated an ROTC Distinguished Military Graduate (DMG), and commissioned as a second lieutenant in the USAF.

In 1953, he married Nadine and was assigned to Georgia for primary flight training. He completed combat crew training in jet fighters in 1954. His following assignments sent him and Nadine to Kansas, Arizona, France, Germany, Michigan, New Mexico, and Virginia. He had to leave Nadine and their three children in New Mexico while he was assigned to Vietnam, Korea, and Vietnam again.

After 157 combat missions, Bob returned to New Mexico and was put in charge of writing a syllabus for a training program for pilots new to the F- 100 and unfamiliar with combat tactics and procedures.

In 1967, Bob was selected to be the Squadron Commander of a combat-ready fighter squadron. At that time, he was the only officer with the rank of Major to hold such an honored position. He later became the executive officer to the division commander, another position of responsibility. 

Bob was a charter member of the Super Sabre Society, an organization of pilots who flew the F-100 aircraft. He was also a member of the Caterpillar Club, a group which consists of flyers whose lives were saved by the use of a parachute. (In 1960, Bob had to eject from his burning jet as a result of a mid-air collision.) He was also a life member of the Order of Daedalians, a select group of military pilots. He wore the wings of a "Command Pilot" on his uniform as he had accumulated almost 4,000 hours of flying time, most of it in single-engine jet aircraft. He also wore the Distinguished Flying Cross and 6 awards of the Air Medal for his activity in Vietnam, primarily providing close air support for Army and Marine ground troops. In 1969, Bob got orders to the Pentagon, assigned to the Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, moving the family from Clovis, NM, to Reston, VA.

At the Pentagon, he was a desk officer following worldwide air activity by Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps aircraft. He also served as a daily briefer for the Chairman of the JCS. His last two years in the Air Force, he served as the Department of Defense Military Representative at the U.S. State Department. Retiring from the AF in 1972 as a lieutenant colonel, Bob joined Merrill Lynch as a stockbroker, later moving to Paine Webber. He retired the second time in 1988 and moved with Nadine to Tucson, AZ, where he served in many volunteer positions with his local homeowners association as well as with the local University of Arizona hospital.

After 24 wonderful years in Tucson, Bob and Nadine decided it was time for them to get closer to their children. They chose Spokane, where two of their three children were living and close to their favorite spot on Earth, Priest Lake, Idaho. They purchased a cabin on the east shore of the lake and enjoyed hosting and entertaining all the wonderful friends they had made over a lifetime. For 20 years, they commuted from Tucson to Priest Lake every summer for their 4-month visit in paradise. When they finally got tired of all that annual travel, they decided to make Spokane their permanent home. They looked for a retirement community where they could get a little assistance with their age and decided to settle into Touchmark to retire. In a short time, they became members of that community, both quickly being chosen to hold positions as committee chairs and officers in that location.

Bob is survived by his wife, Nadine (they enjoyed over 73 years together), daughter Heather Schwartz (Robert) of Gaithersburg, Md., daughter Wendy Cossette (Brad) of Spokane, and son Mark (Michele) also of Spokane, and six grandchildren, Amanda & Logan Schwartz, Kaitlin Finley Nobbs, Sean Finley, and Liam and Eden Cossette. It was also nice to welcome into the world 2 great-grandsons, Finley (8) and Arthur (5) Nobbs, along with the recent addition of great-granddaughter, Rae Hazel Finley (6 mos).

For many people, “the sky is the limit." To aviators, “the sky is home".

Bob is home now.