Frances Finnerty

02/17/2004

Frances Finnerty, 93, a lifelong resident of Goodrich Street, died Tuesday at Berkshire Medical Center. Born Dec. 22, 1910, the daughter of Paul A. and Fannie Kinsella Klein, she graduated from the former Williams High School in 1929 and received a degree in education from the former North Adams Teachers College in 1931. She completed additional graduate work at Boston University, also in education. Mrs. Finnerty was a teacher for many years at Stockbridge Plain School and later director of the Austen Riggs Center Nursery Group. She was a communicant of St. Joseph's Church, where she taught Christian doctrine. An active volunteer in the community, she served on the board of directors of the Stockbridge chapter of the American Red Cross during World War II, on the board of directors and as vice president of the Southern Berkshire Visiting Nurse Association, and as treasurer of the Stockbridge Parent Teacher Association. She was a Girl Scout troop leader. She also worked at the annual Berkshire Theatre Festival fund-raising tag sale and at the VNA thrift shop in Great Barrington. Mrs. Finnerty enjoyed playing golf and was a longtime member of the Stockbridge Golf Club, where she was president of the Ladies Golf Association, a member of the House Committee and founder of the Ladies Night League. For 25 years, she and her husband, John T. Finnerty, spent a portion of each winter at the Waterloo House in Hamilton, Bermuda. Her husband, whom she married Feb. 7, 1948, died in 1996. She leaves a daughter, Madeline F. Finnerty of Ashland, Ohio; two sons, J. James Finnerty Jr. of Stockbridge and Paul Finnerty of Waitsfield, Vt.; a sister, Helen McKenna of Pittsfield; a brother, Paul Klein Jr. of Stockbridge, and three grandchildren. FUNERAL NOTICE -- Frances Klein of Goodrich Street, Stockbridge, passed away Feb. 17, 2004. Friends may call at the family home on Goodrich Street on Friday, Feb. 20, from 5 to 7. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Joseph's Church, Elm Street, Stockbridge, on Saturday, Feb. 21, at 11. Burial will follow in St. Joseph's Cemetery. She was predeceased by her husband, John Finnerty, who died in 1996, and her brothers, A. Owen Klein Sr. and Phillip Klein. Memorial contributions may be made to the Stockbridge Library Association or to the Laurel Hill Society through FINNERTY & STEVENS FUNERAL HOME, 426 Main St., Great Barrington, MA 01230. Remembrances, memories and reflections may be sent to the family through www.finnertyandstevensfuneralhome.com .

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