Naomi Ruth Finch

Naomi Ruth Finch, loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, went home to be with her dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on March 14, 2023 in Bowie, Maryland.  Naomi Ruth Linn was born on February 27, 1942, to James and Alta Linn in Lodi, California. Over the course of 81 years, she lived a very full life that had its share of joys and sorrows.  She started school at the age of 4 ½ in Strawberry Valley, California, because the small one room schoolhouse needed one more student to meet the quota required for that year.  She was the youngest of five children (Clara, Jim, Bob, Kathy, Naomi) and blessed to be born into a family who also loved Jesus.  This led to her accepting Jesus as her Savior at the tender age of 7. 

Naomi met Robert “Glen” Finch, the young man who would later become her husband, at the age of 13. At the time, Glen was 17.  Glen worked as a clerk at Currier’s Groceries in Oroville, California, and the two of them met when Glen would help carry groceries to the car after Naomi and her mom had shopped. The two of them dated for four years while Naomi was in high school.  Having turned 17 years old on February 27, 1959, and graduating High School just a few months later in June, Naomi married Glen one week after graduating, on June 20, 1959, becoming Naomi Ruth Finch.  By the time Naomi was 21 years old, she and Glen had three children: Kevin, Karen, and Kenny.

Through the years, Naomi and Glen shared many joys and blessings from the Lord through anniversaries, birthdays, weddings, the birth of grandchildren, great grandchildren, and family events.  Naomi loved sewing and painting. Over the years, as Glen made items from wood, Naomi would paint them using a tole painting style. To this day, a number of friends and family still have items in their homes that Naomi made or painted.  She loved capturing memories through photography, and for decades family members would comment that her camera was an extension of who she was. Naomi also served as a special education teaching assistant within the Thermalito, California school system just outside Oroville, California.

She leaves behind albums of treasured memories. Naomi and Glen also experienced significant health challenges:  polio (Naomi), broken back (Naomi), cancer (Naomi & Glen), and ultimately the loss of their only daughter Karen (at the age of 25), and their oldest son Kevin (at the age of 34). Through it all, Naomi and Glen remained faithful to their Lord Jesus, but more importantly, their Lord Jesus held them in His arms and walked with them through every joy and sorrow.  Naomi suffered from Lewy Body Dementia for the last decade of her life.  As her cognitive abilities failed, one thing remained steadfast, and in fact shone through ever brighter in the final months, weeks, and days of her life – her love of Jesus. Even though she no longer had the strength to sit up in bed, or even open her eyes, when music from “Hymns of the Faith” was played, a smile would form on her face, and she would even try to sing along. She is now rejoicing in the very presence of Jesus, fully healed, never to suffer again. To God be the glory for Jesus carrying her through this life and into His presence. 

Naomi is preceded in death by James (father), Alta (mother), Jim & Bob (brothers), Kathy (sister), Kevin (son), Karen (daughter), and so many friends. 

She is survived and lovingly remembered by Glen (husband of 63 years), Clara (eldest sister age 96), Kenny & Shari (son and daughter-in-law), and Joan (wife of Kevin). She is also survived by five grandchildren (Nichole, Benjamin, Natalie, Kaytlyn, Chelsea), and five great grandchildren (Kirra, Brooklyn, Willemina, Levi, and Scarlet).