Elizabeth Ann Finck
A Notable Historian Remembered
On November 27th, 2005, Palisades lost one of its oldest residents, Elizabeth Ann Finck, who had lived in our village for 81 years. The pictures shown in the Parish House at her memorial service document her life here as a beautiful young girl, a happy bride, a busy wife and mother, a volunteer in local organizations, and a proud and affectionate grandmother. Liz was a gracious lady who established a warm and loving environment for her children and family. She also had a sharp wit and a keen understanding of human nature.
Liz was born on June 16, 1923, in Toronto Canada. When she was six months old she was adopted by Miss Jennie Fox of Palisades. Liz's childhood years were spent in Seven Oaks, the grand house at the top of Ludlow Lane, where Miss Jennie lived with her brother Arthur and his wife Ada. Liz graduated from Dwight School for girls and then attended Katherine Gibbs School. During her teen-age years she was active in the Palisades Presbyterian Church. She also played the piano and enjoyed opera. In 1944 she married Arnold Finck, who had grown up in Grandview. They moved to Washington Spring Road where Arnold still lives. The couple had three children: Donald, Robert, and Carolyn.
Liz was always a good neighbor and an active presence in the community. She became chairman of the Palisades Historical Committee in 1961 and was so satisfactory that, in spite of her frequent protests, she was kept on as chairman for twenty-five years. The historic files with information and photographs of Palisades houses were in her care until she died. Liz was a trustee of the Historical Society of Rockland County for more than ten years. She also actively supported the Community Playgroup and served on its board of trustees for 18 years. The Palisades Presbyterian Church was an important presence in her life: she and Arnold were married there, as was her daughter Carolyn and later her granddaughter Heather. Over the years her family grew and by 2005 she was the loving grandmother of eleven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
It feels as though our community lost a dimension, a particular perspective on time, when Liz left us. As her nephew John Arnold Finck said, "Liz and Palisades are inseparable. How could it be otherwise? She is the only person I know who lived an entire life, not only in the same town, but on [almost] the same piece of land. The house where she grew up, Seven Oaks, looks down on the house, next door to the church, where she grew old. Her mother's pasture, which bordered this church, where cows once grazed, became in time the backyard where her boys Don and Bob played football and soccer.…it was fascinating to walk with her along Ludlow Lane or down to the Landing or along Woods Road because she knew the history of every house along the way, who lived there, when, and usually a tale or two about its former resident." This information, preserved in her files, became an essential part of the book Historic Houses of Palisades, New York.