Warren Irvin Finch

Passed away peacefully at home on Mon., July 21, 2014. He is preceded in death by his son Andy. He is survived by his loving wife of 62 years, Mary, their children Larry (Lori) and Carol (Steve) Hamer, grandchildren; Tony, Alyssa, Anna, Christina, Kristin, Michael, Andrew (Corinne), David, Elizabeth, Erin, Sara, Patrick and one great-grandson Jake Hamer. Mass of Christian Burial, Mon., July 28 at 1:00 pm at St. Jude Catholic Church, 9405 W Florida Ave, Lakewood, CO 80232. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Warren's honor to the following: Childrens Diabetes Foundation, 4380 S. Syracuse St. Suite 430, Denver, CO 80237 or Capuchin Friars of Mid America, 3613 Wyandot St. Denver, CO 80211 or The Action Center, 8755 W. 14th Ave. Lakewood, 80215.

"Sad news in the passing of long-time Colorado birder, Warren Finch."

Warren's son, Larry Finch, just phoned me to report his father's passing today. Warren was a grand man in Colorado birding and will be missed by literally hundreds of birders.

Born on October 27, 1924, in a small town in South Dakota, Warren became a world-renowned uranium geologist, working for the United States Geologic Survey and finally retiring as Emeritus Scientist. His work took him to scores of countries and the list of his scientific publications was long.

One fond memory I have of Warren is that when he retired from the USGS and cleaned out his office, he asked whether his hand-drawn map of all the earth's uranium deposits should stay with the Survey. He was told, "No, take that map home if you want to." A few months later, Warren got a call from his sheepish successor asking if he would please return the map. As it turned out, all of that detailed information could be found in no other place!

Warren loved birds and birded throughout the world, but he especially loved the birds of Colorado. For decades he was active in the Denver Field Ornithologists, where he served as President of the and Historian and received the prestigious Ptarmigan Award. In 2009 he was honored by the Colorado Field Ornithologists with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Warren is survived by his wife, Mary, and their children. A funeral mass will be celebrated at St. Jude's Catholic Church, located at Florida and Garrison, at 1 PM on Monday, July 28.

An obituary is expected to appear in Sunday's Denver Post.

Farewell, old friend, Warren Finch.

(Larry, I am receiving a flood of good wishes from birders who knew Warren).

Joe