Veto Finley

Veto Finley, of Bloomington, went to be with the Lord on Tuesday, September 24, 2024 at the age of 94. Veto was born on July 29, 1930 and was the eldest son of Leon and Ethel Finley. Although born in Louisiana, he would spend the majority of his younger years in Sweeny, Texas. It was during his childhood he learned at an early age the importance of hard work and dedication. Helping his parents on their homestead, he learned how to farm, grow a garden, hunt and fish alongside his parents and his brothers Leo, Pete, and Dale. He attended and graduated from Sweeny High School where he played the game of basketball—a game he would love throughout the entirety of his life. During and after high school, he landed a job as a tug boat driver in Hinkle’s Ferry. It was here he would cross paths with the love of his life and first wife Reba Brady. Veto and Reba married on August 23, 1950 and would spend the next 48 years together until Reba’s passing. Veto enlisted in the Army in 1952 and was honorably discharged in 1954 after serving in the Korean War. During that time, they would have their first son, Robert Leon. Upon returning to civilian life, Veto moved his family to Bloomington, Texas to begin his career with Union Carbide. Their family would continue to grow with the birth of Gayla Sue, Mary Lois, and Leslie Ann. As time went on, Veto’s success at Union Carbide would send him and Reba all over the world to launch startup plants. It was during these trips that Veto met many people and lived a life that would be the catalyst for many of his stories he would tell for years and years to family and friends. Upon his retirement from Union Carbide in 1986, Veto could often be found in his garden, fishing, or piddling at the barn on any given day. Regardless of what he was doing, you could bet that his day always started with a cup of coffee on the patio, reading the newspaper, and solving the day’s crossword puzzle—with a pen! With his children grown and families of their own, Veto took great pride in his seven grandchildren and being “Papa”. For decades to come, he would always be on the road whether it was to watch his grandchildren in a sporting event, show livestock or any other milestone—he rarely missed a one. He also didn’t miss an opportunity to brag and boast on them either. In 1998, his beloved wife Reba passed after a hard fought battle with cancer. A few years later he would remarry to Willie Pearl Fowler in January 2001. The years to follow he would spend down at their river house fishing his days away. After Willie Pearl's passing in 2006, Veto would split his time between the river house and his home on Leonard St. in Bloomington. In the later years of his life, he would sell his house on Leonard St and move out by his barn on Black Bayou Rd. #2. It is here he would spend his last eleven years of life in the peacefulness of the country—watching Wheel of Fortune, women’s college basketball or Little League baseball, and if you happened to call him, he would let you know he wasn’t doing “nothin’ but sittin’ on my bird dog.” If you knew Veto, you knew he was a great storyteller—willing to tell a story in great detail to anyone who would listen, and he continued to do so up until the last week of his life. He wasn’t a man that often spoke of his love and affection, but he showed it in a way only he could. Whether it was an unfortunate nickname he gave you that stuck for the majority of your life, teasing you for something he wouldn’t let you live down, or his insistence on a topic he knew to be right—that was his love language. Although an imperfect man, he was many things to many people- son, brother, husband, father, Papa, and friend. He passed on what his parents taught him: how to provide, have integrity, and work hard for the things you want. At times he was tough and often stubborn, but if you asked him—it just meant that he was smart; all traits he passed on to his children and their children. His presence will be missed dearly. His stories, his laugh, and his earthly body can no longer be heard or seen here, but he is perfectly restored in heaven with his loved ones who have gone before him. He lived a long, adventurous 94 years on this Earth, and his family takes comfort in knowing that although we cannot bring him back, we will surely see him again.