Obituary of Lillian Finnerty

Lillian Finnerty, 97, died Sunday April 11, 2021. After surviving COVID with the help of her tough Irish genes, her Lord and Savior took her peacefully in her sleep at Millennium Trail Manor in Niagara Falls, Ontario.

Her family is comforted to know that she will be joining her husband, Harold (predeceased 1993) and her son Glenn (predeceased 2009). She will also be joining her parents, Francis (Frank) and Mary Mullin (nee Dillon), her siblings Clarissa, Michael John, Mary, Ann, Angela, Theresa, James and Patrick, and her son-in-law, James Cullin.

Left to mourn her passing are her children, Kevin Finnerty, Jane Finnerty and Fidelis ("Dale") Cullin, her grandchildren Erin, Brendan, Liam & Sean Cullin and Kelly, Kyle and Dillon Finnerty, her sister Veronica O'Connor and numerous great-grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.

Born in Killaloe, Ontario on February 25, 1924, Lillian grew up on the family farm where the values of family, friendship and charity were held dear and shared in abundance. She met Harold at a dance and on September 5, 1945 they were married. They followed Harold's siblings to Northern Ontario, and eventually settled in Timmins, where they raised their four children. Their house was lively where you could always rely on a good meal, laughter into the wee hours and, if you caught him in the right mood, Harold would play his fiddle. Everyone in the family benefited from their open door and their generosity.

In 1999, after Harold and her beloved sister and lifelong companion "Nana" had passed, Lillian moved to Niagara Falls where she enjoyed the milder weather and the joy of spending time with her youngest grandchildren. Very independent (and a bit stubborn), she lived on her own until December 31, 2015, when she moved to Millennium Trail Manor for her final years. The family would like to thank the staff at Millennium for the excellent care that they provided to her.

Lillian will be remembered by her children and grandchildren as a force of nature - a master chef and a baker, an haute couture designer and seamstress, an artisan with knitting needles and needlepoint, a world-class interior decorator, and a gardener extraordinaire - there was no skill that was unconquered by her. Even at the end of the longest days, she still managed (good Catholic that she was) to find time for her rosary and prayer books. Everything that she put out into the world came back to her through the depth of her family's love for her.

Essentials Cremation and Burial Services (905-354-2133) has been entrusted with arrangements. In lieu of flowers, the family would request donations to the North Bay and District Humane Society.

A private family service will be held at a later date to inter Lillian with her beloved Harold at Our Lady of the Angels in Brudenell, Ontario.
Home together at last.