Kaul Fincher

A Celebration of Life Service for Kaul Esmer Fincher, 93, of Cookeville, Tennessee will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, June 30 in the Cookeville Chapel of Hooper, Huddleston and Horner Funeral Home with Judy Duke officiating. The family will receive friends at the funeral home, June 30, from 11 a.m. until service time at 1 p.m. Mr. Fincher passed away Tuesday, June 26 at Signature Health Care Center after an extended illness. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Bette Flo Morgan Fincher; daughters, Kaul Morgan Bluestone (Fred) of Nashville, TN; Margaret Alice Kilgrow (Ben) of Cookeville, TN; son Henry Dawson Fincher of Cookeville, TN; two grandchildren, Britt Allen Kilgrow of Tampa, FL and Katherine Morgan Fincher of Cookeville, TN; sisters Annette Whitley (Elbert) of Centre, GA; and Pat Fincher (Ellen) of Centre, GA and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, George and Lucille Fincher; sisters, Maxine Daniels (Billy); Martha Welch (Marion); Meredith Stanton and an infant brother. Mr. Fincher was born August 20, 1924, in Englewood, Tennessee, to the late George (Carl) Fincher, a decorated WWI veteran and the late Mary Lucille Geralds Fincher. The Fincher Family moved to Lanette, Alabama (now called "The Valley") where he grew up swimming in the Chattahoochee River and walking to West Pointe, Georgia, to attend school and work in a cotton mill after school. During High School he played football on the offensive line and in 1975 was named as offensive guard on the 50-year All-Star Team selected by the Valley Dailey News Poll. Mr. Fincher was a decorated combat veteran of both World War II and the Korean War. In 1943 he volunteered for the United States Army, in which he served with distinction, receiving his Combat Infantry Badge at the Battle of Okinawa. He was discharged at the end of the war with the rank of Technical Sergeant and entered the inactive reserve. Thanks to the GI Bill he was able to attend college after the war. He received his Bachelors of Arts in Education from Livingston Teachers College (now known as the University of West Alabama), played football and for all three years was a starting offensive guard. While at Livingston he also played baseball. After graduation in 1948, he coached baseball at Troy State for one season, bought a Studebaker with his earnings and decided to continue his education by attending George Peabody College (now Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee), receiving a Master's Degree in Education. While at Peabody, on a blind date on June 25, 1950, he met his future wife, Bette Flo Morgan. During their courtship, the Communist North Koreans invaded South Korea, and his inactive Reserve status was activated. Before he was sent overseas, he and Bette married on November 9, 1950. He arrived in Pusan, South Korea in early 1951 during the dead of winter and was assigned to the 24th Infantry, 19th Regiment, Company E where he served as a mortar man on the front line for more than 6 months. After rising to the rank of Sergeant First Class, he and his unit crossed the 38th parallel several times fighting Communist Chinese and North Korean soldiers. At one point, they were surrounded by the Chinese and spent 6 days behind enemy lines before he expertly led his unit back to the American lines. In late 1951, he returned home to American soil and began working for the Putnam County School System for which he taught PE, Math, Science, Driver's Education and coached various sports at Tech Training School (Tech Campus School) and The Cookeville Junior High School. In the summers while school was out he was a Lifeguard and taught swimming lessons at Cookeville Golf and Country Club for many years. During his tenure with the Putnam County School System he earned the post-graduate distinction of completing 48 post-graduate hours at Tennessee Technological University. He retired in 1988. Mr. Fincher was one of the first joggers in the Upper Cumberland running almost every day, regardless of the weather until he was 83. He was also known for having a great sense of humor and loving a great joke and a good laugh. Over his lifetime he enjoyed gardening and caring for horses, cattle and sheep. On the occasion of his 85th birthday he was honored by the State of Tennessee with House Joint Resolution No. 531 sponsored by Senator Burks and his son, Representative Fincher. The family would like to express an extreme amount of gratitude to Cathy Hensley, Ruby Murphy, the staff at Home Instead and the staff at Signature Health Care Center in Algood, Tennessee. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that any memorial contributions be given to the charity of their choice. Hooper-Huddleston & Horner is in charge of arrangements. (931)526-6111 You may share your thoughts and memories at www.hhhfunerals.com.