John Ignatius Finch

John (Johnny) Ignatius Finch passed away at his home on November 10, 2019 in the company of his beloved wife Patsy, children and grandchildren. Johnny was born in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana on January 1, 1928 to John and Nancy Finch. When he was ten years old the family moved to Houston, living initially in the Heights before settling in the neighborhood adjacent to Moody Park. It was at Moody Park where he spent most of his free childhood hours, honing his considerable athletic skills in ping-pong, basketball, and baseball.

Johnny attended St. Thomas High School. In addition to being an excellent student, he was a standout athlete in basketball and baseball, where he was the team’s ace pitcher. His prowess on the mound was recognized on a national level when he was selected as an All-American for the 1945 Esquire All Star Team representing the West. The game was played in New York City’s Polo Grounds, with the West squad coached by Ty Cobb and the team representing the East coached by Babe Ruth. He always considered his being able to meet these two icons of the game he loved one of the highlights of his life.

After St. Thomas, Johnny attended Rice University on an athletic scholarship for baseball and graduated in 1950. He joined the old Humble Oil Company shortly thereafter in a ‘management training program’, which primarily involved digging pipeline ditches in the east Texas oil fields. Sensing there had to be a better way, he applied himself to getting his CPA, which he was able to do within eighteen months, notwithstanding the lack of any significant accounting coursework in college.

However the work in the oil fields was perhaps his most important time spent at Humble since it was during this period that he met Patsy Ruth Sengel, who was a recent recruit to the secretarial pool. Knowing a good thing when he saw one, he would quickly propose to her, marrying her in February of 1954 and producing four children over the years.

He rose quickly up the ranks at Humble, soon to become Exxon, reaching positions of greater responsibility in the Controller’s department and, subsequently, Exxon Coal. He finally retired from Exxon in 1986 as Vice President, Treasurer and Controller of Exxon Pipeline, the company he started digging ditches for some three plus decades prior.

After a few years of travel with Patsy, Johnny was getting restless and decided to exercise his entrepreneurial talents by founding Corporate Staffing, a recruiting and staffing company that specialized in placing accounting professionals with energy industry experience. Buttressed by the key contributions of fellow Exxon alumnus Connie McIlvoy, Corporate Staffing had a very successful run from 1990 to 2016. Three of his children served in senior and executive roles in the company during that time. Johnny was always particularly proud of the company’s policy of donating ten percent of annual profits to charitable organizations.

Johnny’s accomplishments, both on the athletic field and off, were acknowledged by St. Thomas High School in recent years. In 2002 he was inducted into the St. Thomas Sports Hall of Fame for his achievements in baseball and basketball and in 2014 he was elected to the St. Thomas Hall of Honor, which recognizes distinguished graduates. Given his strong attachment to St. Thomas, these honors held special importance for him.

Most importantly, Johnny was a devoted husband and father, for whom family came before anything else. Despite his pressing professional responsibilities he made sure to spend all his vacation and holiday time with his children, taking them to visit relatives in New Orleans and leading them, along with Patsy, on their many extended ‘road trip’ vacations to Colorado, the East Coast, and California, among other destinations. In recent years, he and Patsy doted on their much-loved grandchildren, John and Julianne.

But above all, his devotion to his wife Patsy came first, often saying to his children that there was ‘no one like your mother’. In recent years Johnny got in the habit of holding hands with Patsy in bed, with him telling her ‘I love you a hundred million times’, to which she would respond ‘I love you a hundred and one million times.’

Johnny is survived by his wife Patsy; his children Kevin, Jayne Ann and son-in-law Steven Boyd, Allan and daughter-in-law Giovanna, and Julie; grandchildren John and Julianne Boyd; and brother Melvin and sister-in-law Florine. Johnny is preceded in death by his parents, John and Nancy Finch, and his sister Nancy Chmiel.

The family would like to thank caregivers Rose, Alice, Dorothy, and Sarah for their kind assistance over the last few years. Their efforts have been greatly appreciated during this difficult time.

On November 21st, 2019 the family will host a visitation at Forest Park Westheimer Funeral Home and Cemetery starting at 3:00 PM, with public eulogies starting at 3:30. A catered reception will be provided. On Friday, November 22nd, 2019 at 3:30 PM there will be a Catholic Mass of Christian Burial at St. Catherine of Siena, 10688 Shadow Wood Drive, Houston TX 77043, with Father Niall Nolan celebrating. Interment will be held after the Mass at Forest Park Westheimer Funeral Home and Cemetery. In lieu of flowers you may send memorials to St. Catherine of Siena, 10688 Shadow Wood Drive, Houston TX 77043.