BRUNSWICK  Shirley Hope Finamore, 92, of Cumberland Center passed away on January 26th, 2014 at Thornton Hall in Brunswick. 

 

She was born on a small farm in Mitchell, South Dakota on December 31, 1921.  The daughter of Mabel Southworth and Corvin Yahne, she graduated from Mitchell High School in 1939. 

 

Shirley was known to all as "the life of the party". She was an accomplished gardener, active in the Cumberland Garden Club for many years, working to provide and beautify public spaces in the community. Passionate about local politics, Shirley participated within the League of Women Voters and as well, fulfilling her civic obligation by working long hours assisting in elections.  

 

Shirley loved to travel with Lou, visiting friends and relatives living in New York and the area of her western beginnings, bringing with her exquisite sense of humor and a talent for making a good time out of even the most mundane circumstances.

 

Shirley married Louis P Finamore in 1947 in New York City, very quickly learning to prepare Italian cuisine, which became another of her many talents. Shortly after their marriage, Lou and Shirley moved to Boston, then to Portland Maine and finally settling in Cumberland Center in 1959. 

 

 

In 2007 Thornton Hall in Brunswick became her home, making many friends with co residents and staff alike, relying on practical enthusiasm and quick wit to enhance life at the "the home".  

 

Shirley is predeceased by her parents, brother Doyle Yahne, sister Corine Yahne, and her husband. Shirley is survived by her brothers Robert Yahne of Three Rivers, CA and Verne Yahne of Louisville, KY ; children Leslie of Orange, CA, Randall of Richmond, ME, and Bradley of Ogden,UT; three grand children, Alex Finamore, Abby Pearson, and Natalie Finamore.

 

Shirley’s remains will be interred in the spring at Moss Side Cemetery in Cumberland Center along side those of her husband Lou.