COURIER JOURNAL OBITUARY – 10/10/1998
Hugh Finn died yesterday at age 44, but those close to him said his life effectively ended four winters ago in a horrific collision between two trucks on an icy Jefferson County road. "We all grieved then," said friend Ken Sales. "He was a good friend and he was a real bright star, but we knew then that he was never going to recover." On the morning of March 9, 1995, the former WAVE-TV anchorman was driving his two young daughters to meet the school bus near their home in southeastern Jefferson County when another driver hit a patch of ice, lost control of his truck and collided head-on with Finn's pickup. The impact ruptured Finn's aorta – the main artery carrying blood from the heart to the body – depriving his brain of oxygen. The damage was irreversible as he went into a persistent vegetative state. A "bright star" was snuffed out. "The Hugh Finn that we knew and worked with and respected and loved died 3-1/2 years ago, but now it's finally been made official," said WAVE meteorologist Tom Wills, who worked with Finn for nine years. In a business where people are paid to act cheerful, Finn never seemed to be putting on an act. "In this business you do get people who put on an act sometimes, but Hugh was Hugh," said meteorologist John Belski, who recalled how warmly Finn treated him when he moved across town from WLKY-TV to WAVE. "Hugh was himself." Even when confronted by the fickle nature of television, Finn stayed true to his nature, Sales said. When Finn abruptly quit WAVE in 1994 rather than be demoted from his job anchoring the station's morning news program, he rolled right into something new, an Internet sports service. "They didn't part in the best of ways, but he handled it great," Sales said. "He just went ahead in life." A native of Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Finn and his wife, Michele, moved to Louisville in 1981 when Finn was hired to report for WAVE. Sales said he met the couple when they became neighbors in Old Louisville. He was struck by Finn's genuine nature and his unwavering ability to find the fun in just about any situation. "Like the time he sold me a baby grand piano, then convinced me that we could move it ourselves," Sales said. "And we did. Down three flights and three blocks to my house." It is an apt anecdote, given Finn's love of the piano. "He came to our house one time after we'd gotten a new piano, and he played the thing so hard I thought my floor was going to cave in." said WAVE anchorwoman Jackie Hays. Finn approached his job with the same Zeal, Wills said. "He did most of his own writing and helped edit the (video) tapes." Wills said. "He was a one-man band and loved every minute of it." That, said Sales, is the image Hugh Finn wanted people to have – not that of a man who could not speak, eat or care for himself. "This (controversy) is something that Hugh Finn would have abhorred," said Sales, an attorney who says Finn was considering a "living will" just before the accident. "This is exactly what he did not want his family to go through." Sales said it was the ultimate irony that Jim Gilmore, Virginia's conservative governor, tried to "save" the liberal Finn after Finn's wife received court permission to have his feeding tube removed. "It amazes me that people he never would have liked or voted for supposedly were speaking for him," said Sales, who served as Michele Finn's lawyer. "I guess there's a special place in hell for people who impose their moral values to the detriment of people who are suffering." Finn is survived by his wife, the former Michele Glazier; two daughters, Keeley, 12, and Bridget, 8; his parents, Thomas and Joan Finn; five brothers, Thomas Brian, John Edward and Joseph Finn; and two sisters, Karen Finn and Eileen Colarruso. His funeral will be held at 7 p.m. Monday at the Cathedral of the Assumption in Louisville, with visitation to follow in the church. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery. Memorial gifts may go to the Legal Aid Foundation or Wayside Christian Mission.
Hugh Finn died yesterday at age 44, but those close to him said his life effectively ended four winters ago in a horrific collision between two trucks on an icy Jefferson County road. "We all grieved then," said friend Ken Sales. "He was a good friend and he was a real bright star, but we knew then that he was never going to recover." On the morning of March 9, 1995, the former WAVE-TV anchorman was driving his two young daughters to meet the school bus near their home in southeastern Jefferson County when another driver hit a patch of ice, lost control of his truck and collided head-on with Finn's pickup. The impact ruptured Finn's aorta – the main artery carrying blood from the heart to the body – depriving his brain of oxygen. The damage was irreversible as he went into a persistent vegetative state. A "bright star" was snuffed out. "The Hugh Finn that we knew and worked with and respected and loved died 3-1/2 years ago, but now it's finally been made official," said WAVE meteorologist Tom Wills, who worked with Finn for nine years. In a business where people are paid to act cheerful, Finn never seemed to be putting on an act. "In this business you do get people who put on an act sometimes, but Hugh was Hugh," said meteorologist John Belski, who recalled how warmly Finn treated him when he moved across town from WLKY-TV to WAVE. "Hugh was himself." Even when confronted by the fickle nature of television, Finn stayed true to his nature, Sales said. When Finn abruptly quit WAVE in 1994 rather than be demoted from his job anchoring the station's morning news program, he rolled right into something new, an Internet sports service. "They didn't part in the best of ways, but he handled it great," Sales said. "He just went ahead in life." A native of Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Finn and his wife, Michele, moved to Louisville in 1981 when Finn was hired to report for WAVE. Sales said he met the couple when they became neighbors in Old Louisville. He was struck by Finn's genuine nature and his unwavering ability to find the fun in just about any situation. "Like the time he sold me a baby grand piano, then convinced me that we could move it ourselves," Sales said. "And we did. Down three flights and three blocks to my house." It is an apt anecdote, given Finn's love of the piano. "He came to our house one time after we'd gotten a new piano, and he played the thing so hard I thought my floor was going to cave in." said WAVE anchorwoman Jackie Hays. Finn approached his job with the same Zeal, Wills said. "He did most of his own writing and helped edit the (video) tapes." Wills said. "He was a one-man band and loved every minute of it." That, said Sales, is the image Hugh Finn wanted people to have – not that of a man who could not speak, eat or care for himself. "This (controversy) is something that Hugh Finn would have abhorred," said Sales, an attorney who says Finn was considering a "living will" just before the accident. "This is exactly what he did not want his family to go through." Sales said it was the ultimate irony that Jim Gilmore, Virginia's conservative governor, tried to "save" the liberal Finn after Finn's wife received court permission to have his feeding tube removed. "It amazes me that people he never would have liked or voted for supposedly were speaking for him," said Sales, who served as Michele Finn's lawyer. "I guess there's a special place in hell for people who impose their moral values to the detriment of people who are suffering." Finn is survived by his wife, the former Michele Glazier; two daughters, Keeley, 12, and Bridget, 8; his parents, Thomas and Joan Finn; five brothers, Thomas Brian, John Edward and Joseph Finn; and two sisters, Karen Finn and Eileen Colarruso. His funeral will be held at 7 p.m. Monday at the Cathedral of the Assumption in Louisville, with visitation to follow in the church. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery. Memorial gifts may go to the Legal Aid Foundation or Wayside Christian Mission.
COURIER JOURNAL OBITUARY – 10/10/1998
Hugh Finn died yesterday at age 44, but those close to him said his life effectively ended four winters ago in a horrific collision between two trucks on an icy Jefferson County road. "We all grieved then," said friend Ken Sales. "He was a good friend and he was a real bright star, but we knew then that he was never going to recover." On the morning of March 9, 1995, the former WAVE-TV anchorman was driving his two young daughters to meet the school bus near their home in southeastern Jefferson County when another driver hit a patch of ice, lost control of his truck and collided head-on with Finn's pickup. The impact ruptured Finn's aorta – the main artery carrying blood from the heart to the body – depriving his brain of oxygen. The damage was irreversible as he went into a persistent vegetative state. A "bright star" was snuffed out. "The Hugh Finn that we knew and worked with and respected and loved died 3-1/2 years ago, but now it's finally been made official," said WAVE meteorologist Tom Wills, who worked with Finn for nine years. In a business where people are paid to act cheerful, Finn never seemed to be putting on an act. "In this business you do get people who put on an act sometimes, but Hugh was Hugh," said meteorologist John Belski, who recalled how warmly Finn treated him when he moved across town from WLKY-TV to WAVE. "Hugh was himself." Even when confronted by the fickle nature of television, Finn stayed true to his nature, Sales said. When Finn abruptly quit WAVE in 1994 rather than be demoted from his job anchoring the station's morning news program, he rolled right into something new, an Internet sports service. "They didn't part in the best of ways, but he handled it great," Sales said. "He just went ahead in life." A native of Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Finn and his wife, Michele, moved to Louisville in 1981 when Finn was hired to report for WAVE. Sales said he met the couple when they became neighbors in Old Louisville. He was struck by Finn's genuine nature and his unwavering ability to find the fun in just about any situation. "Like the time he sold me a baby grand piano, then convinced me that we could move it ourselves," Sales said. "And we did. Down three flights and three blocks to my house." It is an apt anecdote, given Finn's love of the piano. "He came to our house one time after we'd gotten a new piano, and he played the thing so hard I thought my floor was going to cave in." said WAVE anchorwoman Jackie Hays. Finn approached his job with the same Zeal, Wills said. "He did most of his own writing and helped edit the (video) tapes." Wills said. "He was a one-man band and loved every minute of it." That, said Sales, is the image Hugh Finn wanted people to have – not that of a man who could not speak, eat or care for himself. "This (controversy) is something that Hugh Finn would have abhorred," said Sales, an attorney who says Finn was considering a "living will" just before the accident. "This is exactly what he did not want his family to go through." Sales said it was the ultimate irony that Jim Gilmore, Virginia's conservative governor, tried to "save" the liberal Finn after Finn's wife received court permission to have his feeding tube removed. "It amazes me that people he never would have liked or voted for supposedly were speaking for him," said Sales, who served as Michele Finn's lawyer. "I guess there's a special place in hell for people who impose their moral values to the detriment of people who are suffering." Finn is survived by his wife, the former Michele Glazier; two daughters, Keeley, 12, and Bridget, 8; his parents, Thomas and Joan Finn; five brothers, Thomas Brian, John Edward and Joseph Finn; and two sisters, Karen Finn and Eileen Colarruso. His funeral will be held at 7 p.m. Monday at the Cathedral of the Assumption in Louisville, with visitation to follow in the church. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery. Memorial gifts may go to the Legal Aid Foundation or Wayside Christian Mission.
Hugh Finn died yesterday at age 44, but those close to him said his life effectively ended four winters ago in a horrific collision between two trucks on an icy Jefferson County road. "We all grieved then," said friend Ken Sales. "He was a good friend and he was a real bright star, but we knew then that he was never going to recover." On the morning of March 9, 1995, the former WAVE-TV anchorman was driving his two young daughters to meet the school bus near their home in southeastern Jefferson County when another driver hit a patch of ice, lost control of his truck and collided head-on with Finn's pickup. The impact ruptured Finn's aorta – the main artery carrying blood from the heart to the body – depriving his brain of oxygen. The damage was irreversible as he went into a persistent vegetative state. A "bright star" was snuffed out. "The Hugh Finn that we knew and worked with and respected and loved died 3-1/2 years ago, but now it's finally been made official," said WAVE meteorologist Tom Wills, who worked with Finn for nine years. In a business where people are paid to act cheerful, Finn never seemed to be putting on an act. "In this business you do get people who put on an act sometimes, but Hugh was Hugh," said meteorologist John Belski, who recalled how warmly Finn treated him when he moved across town from WLKY-TV to WAVE. "Hugh was himself." Even when confronted by the fickle nature of television, Finn stayed true to his nature, Sales said. When Finn abruptly quit WAVE in 1994 rather than be demoted from his job anchoring the station's morning news program, he rolled right into something new, an Internet sports service. "They didn't part in the best of ways, but he handled it great," Sales said. "He just went ahead in life." A native of Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Finn and his wife, Michele, moved to Louisville in 1981 when Finn was hired to report for WAVE. Sales said he met the couple when they became neighbors in Old Louisville. He was struck by Finn's genuine nature and his unwavering ability to find the fun in just about any situation. "Like the time he sold me a baby grand piano, then convinced me that we could move it ourselves," Sales said. "And we did. Down three flights and three blocks to my house." It is an apt anecdote, given Finn's love of the piano. "He came to our house one time after we'd gotten a new piano, and he played the thing so hard I thought my floor was going to cave in." said WAVE anchorwoman Jackie Hays. Finn approached his job with the same Zeal, Wills said. "He did most of his own writing and helped edit the (video) tapes." Wills said. "He was a one-man band and loved every minute of it." That, said Sales, is the image Hugh Finn wanted people to have – not that of a man who could not speak, eat or care for himself. "This (controversy) is something that Hugh Finn would have abhorred," said Sales, an attorney who says Finn was considering a "living will" just before the accident. "This is exactly what he did not want his family to go through." Sales said it was the ultimate irony that Jim Gilmore, Virginia's conservative governor, tried to "save" the liberal Finn after Finn's wife received court permission to have his feeding tube removed. "It amazes me that people he never would have liked or voted for supposedly were speaking for him," said Sales, who served as Michele Finn's lawyer. "I guess there's a special place in hell for people who impose their moral values to the detriment of people who are suffering." Finn is survived by his wife, the former Michele Glazier; two daughters, Keeley, 12, and Bridget, 8; his parents, Thomas and Joan Finn; five brothers, Thomas Brian, John Edward and Joseph Finn; and two sisters, Karen Finn and Eileen Colarruso. His funeral will be held at 7 p.m. Monday at the Cathedral of the Assumption in Louisville, with visitation to follow in the church. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery. Memorial gifts may go to the Legal Aid Foundation or Wayside Christian Mission.
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