BUTTE, Mont. – Thomas Edward Finch passed away suddenly Sunday, March 17, 2013.

Tom was born March 30, 1940, in Sterling, the only child of Francis David and Hazel Beulah (Ahrens) Finch. He grew up in Dixon, attended local schools, and graduated from Dixon High School in 1958. While playing in the clarinet section in the high school band, he met Kathleen Eleanor Currens. After dating for several years, Tom and Kathleen were married on June 17, 1962, in Nachusa, with Kathy’s uncle, Wilbur Currens, officiating.

Tom graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in mining engineering from the University of Illinois in 1963. While Kathy began her teaching career, he continued his education, completing his Master of Science degree in mining engineering, also from the University of Illinois in 1964. The couple moved to Minneapolis, where Tom worked for the Federal Bureau of Mines. In 1965, they welcomed their first child, Ann Elizabeth. In 1966, he began his long career as an educator, taking the position, sight unseen, of assistant professor of mining engineering at the Montana School of Mines in Butte. Son Andrew Thomas joined the family in 1967.