Kenneth "Ken" D. Finch passed away peacefully in his home in Olympia, Washington on June 18, 2024 at the age of 75. Ken was a devoted husband, a loving father, a talented artist, a passionate activist, and a dreamer.

Ken was born September 6, 1948 in Binghamton, New York to Bill and Bernice Finch (née Lavin). After his father's death, Bernice moved Ken and his brother Bob to Jacksonville, North Carolina where Ken spent his formative years raised by his mother and step-father Arthur Seabury Jr. along with his half-siblings Sherry and Arthur III. They also lived in Renton, WA for awhile with Aunt Violet and Uncle Jack Lavin.

In Jacksonville he met his lifelong friends Elliott, Gary and Mike who bonded over a shared love of cinema and rebellion. Writing, filming and editing short films with these friends under the moniker "Whatchagot Productions" would be a cherished memory throughout Ken's life.

Ken graduated from Jacksonville High School in 1966, and later earned a BA in history and art from East Carolina University in 1970. From his early childhood, Ken loved cartooning and illustration, producing countless comics, drawings, ceramics, sculptures and short films. Ken pursued his creative passion to Heidelberg, Germany where he worked as a medical illustrator and married his first wife Jaqueline in 1977.

After relocating to Seattle in the early 80's, Ken discovered a love for whitewater rafting and dedicated himself to environmental and political activism, working with Greenpeace and Pledge of Resistance, protesting U.S. involvement in Central America. Through activist circles he met Diana, who became his second wife in 1988.

Ken and Diana settled in Olympia, Washington where he earned his Masters in Teaching from Evergreen State College and raised their son, Erin. As a father, Ken was affectionate, playful, and kind. He taught Erin to respect the natural world, to honor the soft heart, to love the underdog, and that a gentleman always carries a handkerchief.

On September 22, 2001 Ken married his current wife Mary Geyer (née Horton) in Olympia. They enjoyed camping and traveling together including trips to Hawaii, San Francisco, Yosemite National Park, and Canada. To celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary they wanted to take a trip to somewhere they both would like to go, but had never been. So they took a wonderful vacation to Alaska, where they saw Mt. Denali, Fairbanks, Anchorage, and the Kenai Peninsula.

Ken participated in a weekly men's group where they shared what was going on in their lives and offered unwavering support to each other. He also was a part of John Markham's Stop Smoking group, which met weekly at St. Peter's Hospital and continued to attend for years to encourage others to quit tobacco even after he had quit himself.

Ken held many jobs over the years: a potter, an illustrator, a microduplicator operator, a canvasser, and a copy shop manager, but at heart he was an artist and cartoonist. He always believed that kindness could make a better world. To those who knew and loved him, he was a messenger from that world.

He is survived by his wife, Mary; son, Erin; step-son and wife, Peter and Andrea; brother and wife Bob and Kathy; sister and husband, Sherry and Charley; sister-in-law Susan; step-mother, Joan; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father, William (Bill) Finch; mother, Bernice Finch Seabury; brother, Arty Seabury III; and step-father, Arthur Seabury Jr.

A memorial service will be held at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1925 Boulevard Rd, Olympia WA on Saturday July 27 at 11:00 AM with a reception to follow. Attendants are invited to hear and to share memories and stories in celebration of Ken. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Native American Rights Fund, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women or The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration.