William Walton Finch

William Walton Finch, beloved child of God, has been called to new life, entering the enfolding love, abundant joy and everlasting peace his Heavenly Father has prepared. Born in Reidsville, North Carolina on April 7, 1998, Will went about life and living with a robust energy and a charismatic exuberance that made even the most simple, mundane moments lively and spirited. A treasured friend best captures his desire for connectiveness. “Will had an infatuation with any given moment you shared with him. He was an architect that built other’s enjoyment, and he did it so well.” The very definition of relational, he was everyone’s friend, refreshingly approachable, and hysterically comical. His circle of friends knew no bounds. In the warm words of one, “There is a part of Will that made every friend want to put him on their back and cross the river with him.”

As much as Will loved the moment, he also romanticized his future. Every wish and goal he all but willed into being. He imagined himself “an army man” as early as five years young, digging into his dress-up trunk daily to don his camo and army tags, with trusty Nerf guns in tow. It is no wonder he would be inspired as a young adult to become a Navy SEAL, investing every ounce of his being into his training and ultimately securing a contract to attend Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL school (BUD/S). His unyielding commitment to his dream could be found in the final two words penned in his journal--Discipline=Freedom.

Like relationships, Will passionately embraced basketball, music, shoe drops, Kobe Bryant, dancing, lifting weights, designer streetwear, David Goggins, global travels, wake/snowboarding, Jocko Willink, Pillsbury cinnamon rolls, music festivals, collaborative clothing releases, long, hot showers, the YMCA, ridiculous costumes, Joe Rogan, sweet tea, Chick-fil-A and Sour Patch Kids. He gravitated to children, and they quickly crowned him king of their world. Indeed, his greatest power was drawing all ages into his lively orbit. His laugh alone was all but a magic carpet upon which we could ride.

A 2016 honor graduate of Grimsley High School where he played three varsity sports and earned the Service Learning Diploma, Will ventured to North Carolina State University to seek self-discovery, along the way earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Operations/Supply Chain Management. Graduating Magna Cum Laude a semester before his cohort in December 2019, he savored every moment of his college experience, from being a resourceful student, to building a meaningful bond with an impressionable 1st grader in College Mentors for Kids, to playing on his fraternity basketball team, to mastering the art of connecting friends from different chapters of his life to one another. Despite his earthly departure, it is Will who they will forever credit as their inseparable link. And no matter when they come together from their different corners of the world, it is their most cherished “Will stories” that will well up like a spring and quench their thirst.

Will is survived by his adoring mother, Leslie Anne Deaton, who never failed to remind him he was her sun, moon, and every star; his maternal grandparents, William Edward Deaton and Ruth Causey Deaton of Reidsville; his maternal uncle, Edward Neal Deaton, aunt Clarence Mills Deaton, and cousin James Parker Deaton, all of Charlotte; his loving maternal aunts, Ann Deaton, of Greensboro and Joanne Causey Ratchford of Davidson; his father, Howard Walton Finch, Jr. and wife Gwen Finch; step-siblings, Leah, Maggie, and Shelby Finch and step-niece Josephine Finch, all of Greensboro. Will is preceded in death by his paternal grandparents, Howard Walton Finch, Sr. and Kay Strickland Dennard. He is also survived by a cadre of wonderfully loyal friends, near and far, who prove every day that love is most certainly a verb.

A service of remembrance was held at First Presbyterian Church, 617 North Elm Street, Greensboro, North Carolina on August 1, 2021 at 2 PM. In lieu of flowers, please honor Will with a donation to assist in the fight against the opioid epidemic, Fellowship Hall www.fellowshiphall.com, GCSTOP ( Guilford County Solution to the Opioid Problem) www.gcstop.uncg,edu, Reidsville YMCA, www.reidsvilleymca.org or Kathleen Price Bryan Family YMCA, www.bryanymca.org.

Hope is found in Will's parting wish: Think of me, let my name be spoken without effort. Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight? Think of me, talk of me, and I will live forever.