Margaret Finn

Prior to leaving the home she occupied for half a century near the corner of Vince and Broadway to enter a care facility, Mrs. Finn dedicated herself to enriching the lives of Pasadenans in many ways.

In the 1980's, after retiring as a social worker at the Texas Research Institute for Mental Sciences in Houston, Mrs. Finn became a dedicated community volunteer. She tutored in the Pasadena Library's literacy program, served as a Pasadena Ambassador, and played violin in the Pasadena Symphony Orchestra, among other activities. A member of St. Pius Catholic Church since 1955, she sang in the choir and belonged to numerous parish groups.

Mrs. Finn was best-known, however, for her devotion to beautifying the community through rehabilitating the Pasadena Friendship Garden in the old downtown core.

She almost single-handedly transformed a weed-choked patch of gravel next to the police station into an oasis brimming with flowers and shrubs transplanted from her own garden. Despite her diminutive size, she piled boulders from her son's Austin property into her car until the springs sagged, and used them to line the park's flowerbeds.

“The earth is my canvas,” she said simply when asked why she devoted herself to landscaping the pocket park.

As the years passed and she continued to tend the Friendship Garden on even the hottest summer days, she became an iconic figure to downtown workers and passers-by. She expressed pleasure in seeing the park become a favorite spot for people to bring picnic lunches or to have quiet moments of contemplation.

To honor her dedication, Pasadena City Council surprised her with a plaque declaring it Peg Finn Day.

When Mrs. Finn began experiencing the infirmities of age, she gave up her role as the park's caretaker and entrusted it to the Pasadena Parks and Recreation Department, which had supported her efforts. She visited often with her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and expressed gratitude to the the Parks and Rec staff for continuing to maintain it so well.

Mrs. Finn was born Margaret Elizabeth Fisher in Brooklyn, New York, in 1915, the third of seven children and the only daughter of George Garthwaite Fisher, MD, and Jesse Scudder Fisher. She held a Master's in Social Work from Fordham University. She worked for Catholic Charities in New York City before her 1942 marriage to Paul Finn, a chemical engineer. The family moved to Dallas in 1951, and to Pasadena in 1955. She subsequently worked for Sheltering Arms and the Texas Research Institute for Mental Sciences.

Ms. Finn was predeceased by husband Paul, son-in-law Thomas Parriott, her parents, and her six brothers. She is survived by daughter Maureen Parriott of Osoyoos, British Columbia; son Douglas Finn and wife Irene of Crosby, Texas, son Daniel Finn and wife Gloria of Vidor, Texas; granddaughter Elizabeth Green and husband Jerry of Dayton, Texas; grandson Sean Finn of Beaumont, Texas; and great-grandchildren Cain Green, Savannah Green, and Madeline Finn.

Family will receive friends on Friday, September 13, 2013 from 6 pm to 8 pm with a Vigil service to begin at 7 pm at Grand View Funeral Home. Funeral Services will be held on Saturday, September 14, 2013 at 10 am in the Chapel of Grand View Funeral Home. Interment will follow in Grand View Memorial Park.