Lois Finley

To begin, Cox-Rowley Funeral Home wrote her exact words as she said them (many years ago when she made these arrangements). "I do not, I DO NOT want a funeral or obituary..." I knew that as well and wanted to honor her wishes, so apologize for the delay. After conferring and gentle nudging from family and friends, I realized by not publishing anything, it would be an injustice to not recognize the pillar she was in the community and to so many of us. Jett (who wrote most of this), Sue, Joy, Carrie, thank you.

Keeping part of her wishes, we will not have a funeral and will "Celebrate her Life" on September 5th from 6-8pm at "Good Nites on the Square in Claude.

Miss Mary "Lois" Finley went to our Lord and Savior on August 24, 2026. She was born August 25, 1946. Her father was James Henry Finley and mother was Elizabeth Barrett. Lois always admitted that she did not have the best of patience and when she was born she did not wait for the doctor to arrive and was delivered by her father. Most of her childhood was spent farming for the family along with her brothers, Jim and Roy. In High School, she excelled in basketball and went on to play for the "Flying Queens" at Wayland Baptist. She would often say she was in college so long they just eventually gave her a degree in science to get her out. While in college, she earned a spot to play basketball at the Pan American games in 1967 for the United States.

After college, she had many careers such as coaching, farming, prison guard, foreign student houser, airport groundskeeper, horny toad rescuer, pilot, metal scrapper, and of course a devoted Christian who served the church for many years which included several mission trips across the world. In life and with her pilot's license she was known for her spontaneous nature to take a midnight flight on full moons, buzz friend's houses, fly over the Palo Duro Canyon, or head to a balloon festival, while taking anyone brave enough to tag along for the ride. When the flying ended, she took to motorcycle riding with her beloved poodle companion "Scooter". She even once rode from Claude to Fairbanks, Alaska staying in a tent along the way to visit her nephew.

If you were never fortunate enough to meet Lois, you may have never known any of this because she was not one to brag or gloat, but if you caught her in the winter and it was too cold to work in her barn making her animal silhouettes, you might have been able to squeeze a story out of her about some of her adventures she had in life. She was willing to help anyone and everyone and not ask for a favor in return because she would tell you it was her duty as a good Christian to do so. She never married, or had any children of her own but declared that all her nephews and nieces were hers. She would take any and all kids willing to go to church and had to buy a full size van to pack in all the "unruly heathens" to get them to and from. Consistent with her caring nature, she took care of many elders later in her life helping in any way she could.

Her favorite verse was 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 "and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one."

She was preceded in death by her parents, brother Roy, and nephew Bradley

She was survived by her brother and wife Jim and Pat, sister-in-law Wanda, and many nieces, nephews, and good friends.