Dear Mr. Orvel Johnson,

My name is Liz Jones and I am writing you this letter to inform you of my father’s passing. His name was William Charles Finnerty and he was a proud member of C Company, 23rd Regiment, 4th Marine Division. My Dad always enjoyed receiving your newsletter and keeping up with the articles that were written. He was a wonderful man and father and will be missed by all who knew him. I am enclosing pictures of my Dad and his obituary. I personally would like to thank you for taking the time and energy to keep this newsletter up-to-date and for sharing the experiences of all the Marines and their families. This is a wonderful way to keep all generations informed and to never forget the 4th Marine Division. Please keep sending this newsletter to my address to that my family and I can continue to enjoy the articles. I would deeply appreciate it.

Sincerely,

Liz Jones

COLUMBIA - William “Bill” “Pop” Finnerty, 89, died at home of natural causes at 6:30 am on May 10, 2011. A visitation will be held on May 11, 2011 from 4-6 pm at Dunbar Funeral Home, Northeast Chapel. At the request of the family, the interment will be private.

Born October 26, 1921, in Brooklyn, NY, he was a son of the late Roger and Elizabeth Nied Finnerty. Bill worked at Federal Electric and Telephone up until World War II. He enlisted in the Marines in April of 1942 and fought in the battles for the Roi Namur Islands, Saipan and Iwo Jima as a proud member of C Company, 23 Regiment, 4th Marine Division. He left the Marines in 1946 with two major wounds and was always a Marine at Heart. After the war, he settled back in Brooklyn and worked for the American Tobacco Company. In May of 1946, he met Margaret Elizabeth Balas. They wed on July 12, 1946 and she remained the love of his life for 50 years until her death on March 12, 1995. In 1948, Bill and Margie moved to Mahwah, NJ; and Bill went to work for Avon Corporation until his retirement. In 1989, Pop and Margie retired to Columbia, SC. They loved to travel, feed their birds and spoil their dogs. Pop enjoyed playing golf and spending time as a ranger for the Woodlands golf course. He loved the Mets, the New York Giants football team, old movies and big band music. He was a gentle man who will be missed by all who knew him.

He is survived by his 4 children; sons and daughters-in-law, William and Geri Finnerty of Mahwah, NJ; Brian and Janet Finnerty of Milford, PA; daughters and sons-in-law, Lizbeth and John Jones of Columbia; Kathleen and Frank Kushler of Cincinnati, OH; 6 grandchildren and 1 great-grandchild.

Published in The State on May 11, 2011 [ Read Online ]