Lawrence Morley Finney Of Southampton Dies June 8

Lawrence Morley Finney of Southampton died on June 8 in Southampton. He was 86.

Mr. Finney was born October 2, 1934 in Sag Harbor to Fannie Mae Darden Finney and John Lawrence Dewey Finney. The family moved to Southampton about 1937. He was baptized by the Reverend William T. Collins of the First Baptist Church of Bridgehampton and joined the church there.

Mr. Finney attended the Southampton school system and graduated in 1952. He took a course in radio repair from DeFrey Institute of New York. He worked for a short time at the Southampton Lumber Corp., and Goble Aircraft in Montauk.

Prior to graduation, Mr. Finney worked at The Southampton Press during the summer months and weekends during school. In 1953, he began working full-time at The Southampton Press. In 1974, he and two co-workers bought the job printing part of the press.

Mr. Finney, or “Larry,” as he was known, served as president of the newly formed company, Eastern Suffolk Printing Co., from 1974 to 2001. He retired from Eastern Suffolk Printing and was then employed as a salesman at Pine Barrens Printing in Westhampton Beach from 2001 to 2019.

Mr. Finney met his wife, Cornelia Mealy, at a house party at her home in 1952. They later married on July 24, 1955 at the Unity Baptist Church in Mattituck. To this union, three sons were born.

Mr. Finney was a member of the First Baptist Church of Bridgehampton for over 70 years, and served as treasurer and trustee for over 18 years. As treasurer, he established a new building fund from which the new church was built without the aid of a mortgage. He also was a member of the senior choir, men’s ministry and the men’s choir. He also was a member of the NAACP, and The International Community for the Relief of Starvation and Suffering under the late Dr. Ken Cairns.

He is survived by his son, Jonathan Otha (Shireen); his granddaughters Jennifer and Ine (Andrew); his great-granddaughter Rumi Rudansky; his god-daughter Barbara Leathers of Atlanta; his brother Curtis (Nancy) of Syracuse; his brother-in-law Wendell Mealy (Florida) of Greenport; his sister-in-law Eleanor Mealy of Peconic; and a host of relatives and friends. He was predeceased by his wife Cornelia of 56 years (2011); his oldest son Lawrence Morley Finney Jr. (1995); his middle son Michael Timothy Finney (2020); his sister Helen Gilliam (2010); and sister Ursula Stephens (2016).

A service was held at the First Baptist Church of Bridgehampton with interment at Southampton Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations to East End Hospice (eeh.org) would be appreciated.