Dr. Finley,
You always spoke with me, not at me. We first met when Lisa (Anna) brought me home for lunch. We were in 7th & 8th grades and just testing to see if our friendship had lasting possibilities! I remember you as smiling, mischievous, and always with a twinkle of high intelligence in your eyes. It was so cool that you enjoyed ice cream, sporty cars, and motorcycles as a surgeon. At some point during high school, I managed to take the mirror off one of your cars learning to back out of the garage. You saw it as the cost of learning and did not make me feel like the dunce I certainly felt like in the moment. There was a Father-Daughter Dance that we all shared and I wished my father would make an effort to make you a friend. I am forever grateful that you gave the world your daughter, Anna. She is deeply spiritual, devotedly creative, profoundly loving and so very authentic in all that she does and takes on. Over the years, I have come to see that many of her strengths (dutifulness, bravery, searching for divine connection, reinvention, and making the world a better place) have come through her father. Through moves to London, NYC, upstate NY, and Seattle, you gave her room and wings to be herself. When she returned to Ohio, I was so grateful to have 12 years of raising all of our children in closer proximity. My sons, Gabriel and Vincent Lee grew to think of you as a grandfather presence. Your encouragement and generous support of my Lance's efforts to take on medical school in his early 30s changed the course of our lives. You were always there, always asking how it was going, always reminding Lance that it is an honor to be called on to care for patients. As the years passed and you shifted from practicing medicine to inspiring the next generation, I continued to grow in respect for you because at each step you were able to transition with grace from doer to teacher. Your China chapter was remarkable, adventurous and so wonderfully out-of-the-box! Even to the end, you engaged with curiosity and insisted on getting your walks in. I love the courage it took to live this last chapter with Anna's family. In the end, it is our family and our friendships that reveal a life well lived. You left a message of dedication, growth, continuous learning, helping others, giving back, supporting family, encouraging the physicians coming behind you, enjoying life, openness to other cultures, and fast rides. Thank you for being you fully.