Clinton "Clint" Lee Finger

Clinton (Clint) Lee Finger, engineer in the medical device industry and salmon fishing aficionado, departed for his afterlife journey to scout new fishing holes for friends and family on July 4, 2021. Clint grew up in Black Diamond, WA and attended the University of Washington as an undergraduate and then graduate student earning degrees in Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science, respectively. Never shy of physical labor Clint worked construction during summers and was a night janitor during his college years to help pay for school. He joined Heart Technology (now Boston Scientific) in November,1994, as a medical device engineer and later moved to Spiration, Inc. (Now Olympus Surgical Technologies America) in December 2000, rising to the role of Executive Director of Manufacturing Operations, and where he remained employed until his death.

Diagnosed with colon cancer in May of 2013, Clint began an 8-year journey, defining for the rest of us what grace, dignity, positivity, courage, and passion really mean. In January 2016, Clint purchased a 26-foot Duckworth fishing boat, appropriately named ‘Fingerling’ which he used to share his love for fishing with friends, co-workers, and family or just about anyone who expressed an interest. Logging 164 trips over 65 months and once even losing 3 downrigger balls in one day (a feat his younger brother would not let him forget), the Fingerling and crew filled many a freezer with salmon, crab, shrimp, and bottom fish, but more importantly filled our hearts and memories. Outside of fishing, Clint was an avid outdoorsman and accrued countless miles of hiking, rock climbing, glacier climbing, and hunting in Washington, a place he considered to be second to none. Clint was 53 years old and is survived by his wife of 23 years Laura Rossow, children Matthew and Katherine, mother, Roberta, brother Richard (Mel Asher), nieces Willa and Rosalie, brother-in-law David Rossow, sister-in-law Cathrine Cunningham (Jeff), nephew Michael Cunningham, Uncle Richard (Rick) Busch and stepmother-in-law Barbara Rossow.

A celebration of life service will be held on Thursday, August 5th at 10:30am at the University of Washington’s Center for Urban Horticulture. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating blood, donating to Salmon for Soldiers, a donation to helping cure pediatric cancer or any cause that is important to you, but what Clint would like most is that as many people as possible learn from his experience and get screened.