William G. Finnie, 77

FRANKLIN — William George Finnie, 77, died surrounded by family on Aug. 31, 2026, in Franklin. He was the son of the late George and Elizabeth Finnie and the husband of Sandra Finnie.

Bill was born on Dec. 6, 1948, in Edinburgh, Scotland, and was the oldest of six children. He emigrated with his family to Canada, and then Los Angeles, before they all settled in East Andover. Going from L.A. to East Andover must have been a culture shock, but Bill really enjoyed his high school years in East Andover, with friends like Steve Gulick, Donnie Corliss and Mark Thompson. His family has countless memories of everyone living in a nine-bedroom house with even more cars in the driveway and having lots of adventures, many of which ended with Bill regaling the group with stories of what had happened, all with a huge smile on his face.

Bill graduated from Franklin High School in 1966, and the University of New Hampshire, in 1972. He served in the National Guard during this time and had some great stories about his weekend National Guard duties, including how he used to volunteer to clean up and remove the lunchtime garbage. He frequently turned that into a three-hour activity, stopping by Hampton Beach along the way.

During his years at UNH, he met the love of his life, Sandra Nelson, beginning 54 years together, including 50 years of marriage. Later, Bill worked with his family building power plants around the country, and during the 1980s, he owned a transportation and excavation company. He had some great memories of working there with the guys, including Dave, Carl, and his brother Ian.

For the last 30 years, Bill cared for his wife, Sandra, as she battled MS. More than one person said that she would not be alive without his constant care and devotion. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in June.

He was also a brilliant brother, son and father. Growing up with a lot of younger siblings, he would go the extra mile, chaperoning their kindergarten graduations and, later, letting them use his car when they did not have gas. After his father died, Bill called his mom every day and took her to the store, for a walk at the dam, or over for a meal. She once told Kristen that Bill was her best friend. He was a super dad, and now Kristen has lost her best friend, for sure. She is very glad they got to spend so much time together in recent years and will miss texting him random things she found online or the latest NFL news during the day to discuss later.

Bill was a really fun and charismatic person who definitely did not feel he had to hide his true feelings and opinions — if he liked you, you knew. He loved spending time with his family, and Bill and Sandy hosted big Christmas parties in the years after East Andover, although he complained during the prep work. After his father, George, died in 1998, Bill kept the tradition of saying the Selkirk Grace at every holiday meal, keeping a bit of Scotland with the family.

Bill was a lifelong fan of the Red Sox and Patriots and, in his later years, watched a ridiculous amount of sports with Sandy and Kristen. He also loved taking his dog, Raife, for walks around the neighborhood and at the dam.

Bill is survived by his wife, Sandra, and daughter, Kristen, of Franklin. He is also survived by his sisters, Ann Simpson and her husband Francis, Jillian Miller and her husband Robert, and Heather Farmer and her husband Terry; his brother, Douglas and his wife Linda; and many nieces and nephews. Bill was predeceased by his parents, his brother Ian, his niece Alana, and his devoted dog, Raife — hopefully, they are off playing fetch somewhere.

There will be a celebration of life at a later date. Those who wish may make a memorial contribution to a local animal shelter of their choice. If you want to celebrate Bill now, go outside to your patio and have a Blue Moon beer in his honor.

Assisting the family with arrangements is the Cremation Society of NH, Boscawen. To view Bill’s online tribute, send condolences to the family, or for more information, visit csnh.com.