Catherine Carmella Finlayson, age 90, passed away August 21, 2018. She passed peacefully at home, with family by her side. She is survived by her brother, John E. (Connie) Conder, Jr; children, William G. Finlayson, III; Patricia K. (Jim) Slusher; Karen Z. (Jeff) Goff; Catherine L. (Chris) Clegg; grandchildren, Kenneth Lauder, Stephanie Lauder-Goff (Josh) Zywien, Jeffrey and Marshall Goff; Lane and Paige Clegg; Tom, Sam, and Will Slusher; and great-grandchildren, Avery and Claire Zywien; nephews and niece, Dan, Tim, and Andrea Conder. She was preceded in death by her infant brother, Daniel Conder; mother and father John E. and Girlenden (Breece) Conder, son-in-law Robert Lauder and grandson Matthew Lauder.
She was born in Detroit, Michigan on May 29, 1928, and lived there for nearly 80 years of her life. As a child she won two consecutive Detroit News Spelling Bees and performed with her accordion on both radio and television. After her family, her greatest joys were hockey and Sweet Adelines. She was an avid fan of the Detroit Redwings and followed hockey all her life. She attended her first Redwings game as a 6-month old baby at the Olympia with her mother and father. She was instrumental in starting the Girls Inter-City Hockey League in the early 1970’s, enabling girls from the Detroit area to enjoy the sport she so loved and which her daughter, granddaughter, and great granddaughter still enjoy today. She sang with the Spirit of Detroit Chorus, winning several regional competitions and participating in many international competitions. On her 50th anniversary with Sweet Adelines, she was granted lifetime member status. She lived out the Sweet Adelines value of “Harmonize the World.” Too bad none of her children could carry a tune in a bucket (her words, not ours). Perhaps this is one of those things that skips a generation, as her grandchildren inherited her musical ability and she loved to hear them sing and play piano.
The last 11 years of her life were spent living with her oldest daughter and family in Mount Prospect, IL, where she made many new friends and especially enjoyed gardening with her daughter and her association with Trinity United Methodist Church in Mount Prospect.
She enjoyed her family more than anything and loved to see her grandkids and great grandkids at all their events. She loved returning to Michigan for family trips up-north, where we will honor her by planting a tree in her name. We will miss her dearly, but we are so grateful for our time with her. She taught us the importance of hard work, commitment, loyalty, and mostly love and caring for each other. May she rest in peace. Heaven – you’re getting a great angel on your team.
A memorial visitation will be held at Friedrichs Funeral Home, 320 West Central Road, Mt. Prospect, IL, on Tuesday, August 28 from 2:00 P.M. until the time of memorial services at 7:00 P.M.
Interment Private
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital 501, St. Jude Pl, Memphis, TN 38105-9959 or www.stjude.org