Albert E. Finn

Albert E. Finn, of Marblehead, died March 1, 2016 following a brief illness. He is survived by his wife Theresa Ann (Fitzgerald) Finn of Marblehead. Albert is also survived by his six children, all residents of Marblehead: Ellen Finn-Welch, Sean Finn, Kate Finn and her husband Joseph Kowalik, Tracy Finn and her husband Christian Stumpf, Matthew Finn and his wife Heather, Elizabeth Finn-Elder and her husband Rick Elder. He is also survived by nine grandchildren: Erin Finn-Welch, Aliza Elwell and her husband David, Amy Finn-Welch, Joseph Kowalik IV, Julie Frates and her husband Peter, Peter Finn and his wife Tatty, Maddy Finn, Farrah Finn and Ryan Finn, and one really great granddaughter, Lucy Frates. Albert was predeceased by his son-in-law Larry Finn-Welch, his sister Isabelle Finn and brothers William, Richard and George Finn.

Albert grew up in Cambridge and Belmont. As a teen, he worked in his family business, a bar in North Cambridge. The bar was aptly named The Camel, given its location as the last drinking establishment on Mass Ave., before leaving Cambridge for the dry town of Arlington. At 17, he enlisted in the US Marine Corps during World War II and was stationed in Okinawa Island, Japan in 1945 as the war ended. Upon completing his military service in Japan, Albert returned to Cambridge, married Theresa Ann Fitzgerald of Cambridge in 1951, and graduated from Harvard College Class of 1952.

Upon graduation from college, Albert began a brief career selling real estate in Marblehead, where he became his best and only customer. After selling a house to himself, Albert started a new career in technical sales at the Honeywell Corp. In 1956 Honeywell moved Albert and his young family to the Honeywell subsidiary in Paris, France, where they lived for a year and a half. Upon return to the US, Albert left Honeywell to work for Indikon, a specialized engineering & manufacturing company based in Cambridge. He worked at Indikon for the next 50 years and eventually acquired the company with his friend and business partner Donald Haverty. Albert served as the President of Indikon for many years and retired in 2007, at age 80.

Albert’s greatest joy in life was his role as the beloved Finn family patriarch. He was an incredible father to his six children, and became a second father to many of their friends. His home was open to them all, and affectionately known as the “Dew Drop Inn”. These family friends and neighbors, including his unofficial seventh child Randy Krivitzsky, remained welcome members of Albert’s extended family for his entire lifetime.

An active member of the Star of the Sea Church in Marblehead for over 40 years, Albert was a parishioner, volunteer, and true friend to the Catholic Church. Albert drew friends and strangers to him with his quiet kindness, dry sense of humor, and quick wit. He will be missed immensely. “Have I told you lately that I love you?”

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, March 12th at 11 am at Our Lady Star of the Star of the Sea Church, 85 Atlantic Ave., Marblehead, MA. Relatives and friends are invited. A reception will immediately follow the mass. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Albert may be made to ALS TDI in Cambridge at http://www.als.net/donate