Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Mary Fincher

Mary Arnett Fincher was born September 14, 1918, in Nevada County to Esther and Walte Arnett. She joined big sister Nora and big brother Jack.

Mary married William Hubert (Bill) Fincher February 10, 1934, and to that union a daughter, Mary Jo Curtis, a and son, James William (Jimmy) Fincher, were born.

She was a member of Unity Baptist Church, the Gleaners Sunday School Class, and the Good Timers.

Mary worked hard caring for the children, canning fruits and vegetables, attending church, as well as being employed full-time most of those years. Not very many women were employed outside the household during Mary's days. But she managed to be a wonderful employee as well as caring for her family. Mary worked as a supervisor at Shanhouse in Hope for many, many years. Mary was a working woman nearly all of her adult life.

She gained recognition and was awarded for her patriotism for being one of the "Rosie the Riveters" during World War II. Mary welded in the bottom sections of ships, a very, very, very hot and demanding job. She and the children moved with Bill during the war to Mobile, Ala.; Brownwood, Texas, and Salinas, Calif.

Besides her family, the greatest joy of Mary's life was to fish at Yellow Creek. She didn't just hold the pole, she pulled the fish out of that water faster than nearly all the others at Yellow Creek. If she noticed that you were pulling several fish out of your spot, she moved right in and the spot became hers, leaving you to move elsewhere.

Mary was predeceased by her parents, husband and brother.

She is survived by her only sister, Nora Arnett Graham and brother-in-law Howard (Red) Graham of Prescott; and sister-in-law Edith Arnett; her daughter, Mary Jo Curtis of Little Rock and son, James William (Jimmy) Fincher and his wife Wanda of Prescott. Her five surviving grandchildren are Becky Tate of St. Louis, Mo.; Greg Curtis of Little Rock; Dee Godwin of Hope; Jo Beth Glass of Prescott; and Kenny Fincher of Prescott; nephews and nieces and many cousins also survive. Mary is survived by 11 great-grandchildren, Nathan Tate, Mary Katherine Tate, Cody Curtis, Keaton Curtis, Kristen Curtis, Steven Godwin, Jami Godwin, Keaton Fincher, Kaylee Fincher, Shelly Glass and Dusty Glass.

Mary died September 2, 2004, at Medical Park Hospital and her funeral was Sunday, September 5, 2004, at Herndon Funeral Home Chapel under the direction of Herndon Funeral Home, Inc.