Apr 21, 1936 - Sep 4, 2005

Elizabeth "Betty" Jane Finch (Lansing) died on Sunday, September 4, 2005 after a courageous 4-year fight against breast cancer. Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on April 21, 1936, Betty was the daughter of the late Helen Moore Lanzing and Ferdinand Charles Lanzing, and sister of Richard and Donald Lanzing. She is survived by her only child, Steven William of San Diego, California, her granddaughters Lauren Elizabeth and Amber Anne, and her brothers Richard of Chino, CA and Donald of Redding, CA. 

Betty attended Pomona High School and then Claremont High School in California where she graduated from in 1954. In June, 1956, she graduated from Mt. San Antonio Junior College in Walnut, California, with an Associate of Arts degree. Ms. Finch worked in various secretarial positions at Mt. San Antonio Junior College. She worked for Aerojet General Corporation in California as a department secretary for a manager in charge of the proposal for the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM) of the Apollo Program. Ms. Finch later worked at the University of California, San Diego, and the Stephen Birch Aquarium in La Jolla, California. She spent many years as a homemaker, and then for the last 6 years before retirement, Ms. Finch worked at Mitchell International in San Diego. Her volunteer activities included working with children who had cerebral palsy and counseling their parents at United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) in San Diego, and working with the Pet Assisted Therapy (PAT) Program at the San Diego Humane Society. There, Ms. Finch coordinated mailings and special events and brought pets to visit people living in nursing homes. In her single years, Ms Finch was an avid skier and world traveler. She married in 1964 and had one child. The family lived in the University City area of San Diego for 33 years. An avid "Betty Boop" fan, she collected many items of memorabilia over the years. Ms. Finch enjoyed driving red convertibles; owning a red MG in 1962 and later, a red Mazda Miata in the late 1980's. She also enjoyed spending time with friends and family. 

A beloved wife, mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, friend and neighbor, Ms. Finch's smile brought sunshine to a room of darkness. She had a special ability to talk about pretty much anything, anywhere, anytime. In her golden years she moved to the Rancho Bernardo area and enjoyed "cruising" through the Panama Canal, Alaska, and most recently, the Mexican Riviera.

A memorial service w ll be at Pomona Valley Memorial Park in Pomona, California, on Saturday, September 17th at 10:00am.