Howard Emmett Finnecy, 88, who lived in Boalsburg and State College, from 1968 to 1981, died on October 30, 2025, in Palm Springs, CA, his full-time home since 2020.
Howard was born in Homestead, PA in 1937, the only child of the late Mamie Louise (Cawthon) and Emmett Ellsworth Finnecy. He graduated from Munhall High School in 1955 and earned a BS in Education from California State College in 1960 and a Master of Education from Edinboro State College in 1965. After teaching elementary school for eight years, Howard worked in university administration, first at Penn State and later at the University of California San Diego, from which he retired.
Howard and Sara (Sally) Jean Freeborough eloped on May 25, 1957, keeping their marriage secret for several months. They divorced in 1980. Howard lived in San Diego from 1981 to 2020, with his longtime companion, John P. Thomas, who died in 2013.
Howard is survived by his three sons, Robert Finnecy (Virginia Mang) of Summerville, SC; Alan Finnecy (James Hackman) of Warriors Mark, PA and Seal Cove, ME; and Jay Finnecy of Jackson, CA; grandchildren Christina Laughman, Cynthia Tortorell0, Brian Hackman, Anne Hackman, Allison Finnecy, and Jeffrey Finnecy; and three great-grandchildren.