James Alan Finkbeiner

He was born on Nov 13, 1947 to George and Ella (Williams) Finkbeiner, a homesteading family in Ritzville, WA. He attended Othello, High school, where he met and later married Sandra Sargent. He attended W.S.U. with a double major in Anthropology and Archaeology.

Jim and Sandra settled in Othello, where they lived for many years. They had two children Sarah and Jacob. When Sandra and Jim’s marriage ended in 1992, he moved to Spokane. Jim met Barbara Albin, who became his life companion, along with her son John.

Jim was an avid sportsman and enjoyed fishing, hunting and rock hounding his entire life. He enjoyed music and dancing, and his family, especially his granddaughter Issa, who never had to suffer the breakfast of oatmeal and pickled eggs, his children were made to eat.

Jim will be remembered as a headstrong person who never answered to anyone but himself, this softened in later years as age and life’s lessons took their toll. He was an intelligent and highly creative man; often thinking up ways things could be done better. He had a wonderful sarcastic sense of humor that often left the listener questioning what they heard. He will also be remembered as a man willing to help day or night. He enjoyed traveling and spending time with his select group of friends. Jim left this world proud of his children and even with some dreams left unfinished he was happy and content with his life.

His life companion Barbara, his children Sarah and Jacob of Oklahoma, John of San Diego, CA and his grand daughter Issa of Oklahoma, survives him.