Joe Morris Finkel

Joe was born on December 28, 1938, in Mayfield, Kentucky, to Maxine and Leo (Joe) Finkel. He was the older brother to Reva Ann Finkel Klein. He is survived by his wife, Grace, daughter Anna, son Robert, granddaughters Annie and Maggie, extended family and many dear friends. He is preceded in death by his sister, and his parents, and step mother, Ellen Juanita Finkel.

Growing up in Mayfield, Joe was raised by his parents alongside his sister and surrounded by an extended family deeply invested in the local community. Members of his family owned and operated Finkel Fair Stores, a chain of dry goods and clothing stores throughout western Kentucky, including the Mayfield location. He graduated from Mayfield High School and became a proud member of the Boy Scouts of America.

Joe went on to attend and graduate from Vanderbilt University. Upon graduation he relocated from Nashville, Tennessee to Birmingham, Alabama, to begin a research career at Southern Research Institute (SRI). Specializing in analytical chemistry and pharmacology, Joe worked at SRI for nearly thirty years, followed by several additional years with other area chemical research firms.

After settling in Birmingham, Joe quickly became involved in the local scouting and outdoor recreation communities—interests that would shape the rest of his life. He volunteered as a wildlife rescuer, served as a scout leader, and spent countless days and nights hiking, canoeing, and camping throughout the Southeast. Through his involvement with the Birmingham Sierra Club, he met his future wife, Grace (Carmichael) Finkel. They were married on July 3, 1974, and devoted to one another for over 51 years.

Upon his retirement from chemical research he transitioned into teaching, sharing his love of chemistry and science with students at Samford University and Birmingham-Southern College. After officially retiring full time, he devoted his time to his family and remained deeply engaged in the greater Birmingham scouting community.

Joe found lasting joy in being outside, whether through recreation, volunteer work, tending his yard, or various wood working projects. He shared this passion with his wife and children, especially through countless family camping trips. Nature was both a place of peace and exhilaration for him. On cold, clear fall days, he would often remark, “This would be a great day to be on the trail,” and very often, he was. With an analytical mind, Joe sought to understand the world through science, finding beauty in its complexity while remaining in awe of its simplest details.

Scouting played an especially formative role in Joe's life. It introduced him to a world beyond Mayfield, though he never forgot where he came from, and he remained a loyal member of the organization for more than seventy-five years. The Scouts provided his earliest opportunities to travel, taking him all over the country and across the globe. It instilled in him values of honesty, integrity, hard work, and self-reliance, and—most importantly—a deep appreciation for friendship. These qualities came to define Joe and were evident to all who knew him. In his later years, he remained active with Troop 93 in Hoover, Alabama. He attended national and world jamborees, organized international exchange programs, taught orienteering classes, and served as a ham radio operator, leading scouting sessions over the air.

Joe will be dearly missed by his extended family, his friends, his community, his students, and most profoundly by his wife, their children, and grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held on Thursday, April 23, at 2:00 p.m. at Ridout’s Valley Chapel Funeral Home in Homewood, Alabama. Friends are cordially invited to visit with the family immediately following the service. Burial will be held privately for the family. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Greater Alabama Council, Boy Scouts of America, honoring Joe’s lifelong commitment to youth leadership and community service.

Services are under the direction of Ridout's Valley Chapel (205-879-3401) in Homewood.