Stanley Finn

Stanley Michael “Mick” Finn passed away on Sunday, August 19, 2018 at St. Patrick’s hospital in Missoula. Mick was born in Missoula on January 24, 1948 to Thomas L. and Barbara E. Finn. Mick was a precocious child with a quick wit and an Irish twinkle in his big brown eyes. He embraced schooling and youthful social life in Missoula with gusto. He was a top student at Saint Anthony’s grade school, where he was also noted for his rousing a cappella performance of “MacNamara’s Band,” which won him first place in a talent contest as a second grader. Mick served as an altar boy at St. Anthony’s parish and as a bat boy for the Missoula Timber jacks. During his early years in Missoula Mick also began to forge some of his lifelong friendships.
Mick graduated from St. Anthony’s grade school in 1962. He and his family moved to Butte in 1962, and Mick enrolled in Boys’ Central High School. Mick excelled in school and also as a member of the Boys’ Central wrestling team. During summers, Mick worked alongside his father at the Montana Laundry and Dry Cleaners where he developed his obsession for the perfectly pressed shirt. He continued to cultivate the friendships that he cherished for a lifetime. Mick graduated from Boys’ Central High School in 1966 as salutatorian of his class. He attended Carroll College and further solidified his wonderful group of lifelong friends. He spent a year studying at Montana State University and completed his undergraduate degree in philosophy at the University of Montana. In 1971, in celebration of completing his degree, Mick left Montana with a guitar and backpack for a European adventure on a dollar a day. Upon his return he went to work driving bulldozer in the Berkeley Pit in Butte, where his taste for serious reading on slow nights earned him the moniker of “the philosopher” among his co-workers.
In 1975 Mick enrolled in the University of Montana School of Law. Upon graduation in 1978 Mick worked as a law clerk for Montana Supreme Court Chief Justice Frank Haswell. He then joined the law firm of Datsopoulos, MacDonald, and Lind in Missoula, where he was encouraged to pursue a specialization in tax law. In 1979 Mick moved to Boston to earn a master’s degree in tax law, LLM, at Boston University School of Law. There he met a brilliant first-year law student, Anne-Marie Hultquist, who became the love of his life and life partner for nearly 40 years.
Mick and Anne-Marie were married in Warwick, Rhode Island, on May 29, 1982. They lived and worked in the Boston area for the next 26 years. Mick began his career in tax law at Commercial Union Insurance Company. He joined the TJX Companies, Inc., in 1987 as a tax attorney. He was promoted to senior tax attorney in 1989 and to Assistant Vice-President in 1998. Mick was responsible for federal, state, and international tax research for TJX and served as the liaison with federal and state tax attorneys, appeals boards, and tax courts. He was especially proud of his work with establishing the TJX scholarship fund following the tragedy of 9/11, which directly affected several TJX employees.
Mick always enjoyed the tropical warmth and crystal turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea. He and Anne-Marie rung in the New Year in Bermuda several times over the years, and his favorite resort to visit was Atlantis, at Paradise Island in the Bahamas, where he swam with the dolphins. He and Anne-Marie spent every spring vacation on the coast of Aruba at his beloved Playa Linda Beach Resort.
Mick was an avid sports fan, a love he shared with Anne-Marie, and together they enjoyed many memorable nights watching the Celtics at the old Boston Garden. He also enjoyed baseball games at Fenway Park, rooting on the Red Sox. And for his last fifteen years in Massachusetts, he lived in the shadow of Fox borough Stadium, where watching Tom Brady and company provided many hours of excitement and entertainment. He would often say, “It’s only a game,” if the Patriots lost one, but was exuberant with every win, particularly each Super Bowl win.
In February, 2008, Mick retired from TJX at an early age, and in July, 2008, returned to Montana, where his heart always belonged. In his years of retirement, Mick continued to enjoy athletics, working out at the Peak (a forty-year practice) and playing Pickle ball, a game that introduced him to new friends and brought out his competitive spirit. Together with Anne-Marie, Mick spent the last winters on the beautiful island of Kauai, which became his new tropical paradise for escaping Montana cold.
Mick truly had a heart of gold. He possessed such a quiet strength and a kindness in him that he shared with all. He was a loving husband, son, brother, and uncle, and the best friend one could want. He leaves behind a legacy of kindness, humor, and generosity. Upon learning of his passing, a TJX colleague described him best, “a brilliant and sweet man who was kind to everyone and a pleasure to work with.”
Mick is survived by his wife Anne-Marie Finn, mother Barbara Finn, brother Don Finn, sister Cathy Malone, sister and brother-in-law Janet Finn and Dave Ames, sister- and brother-in-law Mary Beth and Tom Burke, niece Jennifer Malone, and niece and nephew-in-law Megan and Erik Olson and their children Olivia, Grady, and Macie, aunts and uncles Mary Lacey, Donna Rainville, Marge and Jim Mayes, Jack Hultquist, and Henry and Alice Hultquist, and many dear cousins. Mick was preceded in death by his father, Tom Finn. A funeral mass will be celebrated on Thursday, August 23, at 1:00 p.m. at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church, 217 Tremont Street, Missoula. A reception will follow from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. at Rumour Restaurant, 1855 Stephens Avenue. Memorial donations in Mick’s name may be made to Smile Train (SmileTrain.org) or JDRF (JDRF.org).