He was also known as "Buddy" Fincher.
Funeral Slide Show is on Youtube.com.
Here's a bunch of photos from my father's life. These are by no means complete, but mostly of his younger days.
Earliest photo of Buddy with sisters Lynette and Barbara
Theron, Lurline, Lynette, Buddy, and Barbara Fincher.jpg
Only school picture of Buddy we have
Left to Right: Buddy, Melbourne, ?,?,Barbara, ?, and Lynette Fincher
At Lynette's Wedding - Lynette and Buddy
Buddy with show bull Streak - He raised this bull for the Houston stock show
Buddy Bull Riding at A&M
Winners Of All Aggie Rodeo. Dad told me he really, really wanted to win a rodeo belt buckle and he prayed that if God would just grant him a belt buckle that would be all he needed. He did win.
Buddy Fincher in A&M Uniform
Buddy Fincher Uniform
Wedding with Joanne Grace Satterfield Fincher
Pilot Training Class 56F Instructor Digger Stanga
Buddy, Theron, and Lurline. Somehow Dad scraped enough money together to buy a little plane.
Buddy, Theron, Michael, Pickens Steele Fincher
1966-00-00-ErnestFincherAirRaidAndC130Traffic2.mp3
1966/1966-00-00-ErnestFincherAirRaidAndC130Traffic2.mp3
Ernest Fincher in his dress white
Buddy went to pilot training in Laredo, Hondo, and San Antonio. They often made annuals for the training session. These are selected photos of those books.
1967-00-00-1542-IMG_2008.jpg
1967-00-00-1540-IMG_2007.jpg
1967-00-00-1540-IMG_2006.jpg
1967-00-00-1530-IMG_2005.jpg
1967-00-00-1528-IMG_2003.jpg
1967-00-00-1527-IMG_1999.jpg
1967-00-00-1526-IMG_1998.jpg
1967-00-00-1519-IMG_1997.jpg
1967-00-00-1519-IMG_1996.jpg
1967-00-00-1517-IMG_1995.jpg
1967-00-00-1508-IMG_1994.jpg
1967-00-00-1506-IMG_1990.jpg
1967-00-00-1502-IMG_1984.jpg
1967-00-00-1502-IMG_1983.jpg
1967-00-00-1459-IMG_1982.jpg
1967-00-00-1457-IMG_1980.jpg
1967-00-00-1456-IMG_1976.jpg
1967-00-00-1455-IMG_1975.jpg
This story is written my Buddy for his 50th? High School reunion. I think Barbara put the retro-annual together with pics from their original yearbook, stories, and current photos.
1967-00-00-1454-IMG_1974.jpg
1967-00-00-1450-IMG_1972.jpg
1967-00-00-1450-IMG_1970.jpg
1967-00-00-1446-IMG_1969.jpg
This is the belt buckle he won while in A&M on their rodeo team. Dad told me that he asked God that if God would just let him win and get a rodeo belt buckle, he wouldn't ask for anything else.
1967-00-00-1439-IMG_1966.jpg
1967-00-00-1437-IMG_1965.jpg
1967-00-00-1434-IMG_1963.jpg
1967-00-00-1431-IMG_1962.jpg
1967-00-00-1430-IMG_1961.jpg
1967-00-00-1418-IMG_1960.jpg
1967-10-17-ErnestFincher.jpg
Mike, Buddy, Mitch, and our collie dog Candy. The green pickup in the background drove all over the US. From CA to Tx, Idaho to Tx. Dad installed saddle gas tanks so we could just drive and drive and not have to stop for gas. We had a camper shell on the back with a tunnel in between the cab and back. We would usually travel with a matress in the back and snacks.
During the Vietnam war, Dad was stationed in Udorn, Thailand. He bought a motorcycle there, but it was stolen. He rued the fact years later. He said during his stay over in Vietnam in his location the US was losing 2 our of every 3 pilots. (For the whole war it was much less, but still dangerous).
Dad was in charge of a C130 deployment to Howard AFB in Panama.jpg
1973-00-00-HowardABPanamaDetachmentCommander.jpg
Buddy loved to ski and teach others how to ski.
1974-00-00-LtColBuddyFincherFtHood.jpg
2000-00-00-ClassOf1950AlbanyHigh.jpg
Buddy went to Russia with an evangelist.
2005-00-00-ErnestFincherAndFamily.jpg
Buddy Fincher At a Party
Dad had a reading chair in the living room with a big screen tv in the room. He and Peggy would listen to five chapters a day on a scripture reading device - one chapter of the Old Testament, one Psalms, one Proverbs, one gospel, and one epistle.
Ernest Fincher With Friends And Family - Rodney Casey top row.
Finchers At Jeremiah's Graduation
Fincher Men - that's a picture of Theron Pickens Fincher
Rodney Casey and family came to visit Dad at the Abilene hospital downtown.
Jeff Pleasant
John Viertel came to visit. John was so helpful to our family during Dad's fight with cancer.
Peggy Fincher was at Dad's bedside night and day.
I asked my Dad what he wanted to say during his last few days. Here are some recording of him.
2018-09-00-ErnestFincherHoliness.mp3
2018/2018-09-00-ErnestFincherHoliness.mp3
2018-09-00-ErnestFincherSecondEpilogue.mp3
2018/2018-09-00-ErnestFincherSecondEpilogue.mp3
2018-09-00-ErnestFincherSpiritualJourney.mp3
2018/2018-09-00-ErnestFincherSpiritualJourney.mp3
2018-09-00-ErnestFincherSpiritualJourneyEpilogue.mp3
2018/2018-09-00-ErnestFincherSpiritualJourneyEpilogue.mp3
2018-09-00-ErnestFincherThirdEpilogue.mp3
2018/2018-09-00-ErnestFincherThirdEpilogue.mp3
My Dad died at the veteran's Hospital in Big Spring Texas. His wife Peggy took this video of his final departure. The staff were so wonderful to him during his final days.
Click on the picture to see the 1.5 min video
Buddy Fincher Funeral Bulletin Front
Buddy Fincher Funeral Bulletin Inside
Ernest Fincher's Death Certificate
His exit from the VA hospital in Big Spring Texas on Youtube. The video is from Peggy Fincher, his widow.
Note for any descendants who might suffer the same. This is a warning : He died from lung cancer that had traveled into his spine. He was never a smoker, but was exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam. The cancer was very fast moving. He was very active until a few months before his diagnosis, when started to get tired more than usual. From an MRI report: "There is an infiltrating mass to the right of the C5 through T5 mediastinal mass invading the right side of the spine. It invades into the T2, T3 and possible T4 neural foramen on the right. It invades these vertebral bodies as well. It extends into the right side of the spinal canal at the T3 and T4 levels."
He also survived colon cancer and had thyroid issues.