William "Bill" Smith Finney

William Smith Finney Jr. was born January 12, 1935, at Daytona Beach, Florida and died July 27, 2025, at Largo, Florida. He was 90 years old. 

Bill resided in the historic Carrollwood neighborhood in Tampa with his wife of 36 years, Betty-- a treasured find known for her beauty, poise, gentle nature, and kind, loving spirit. 

As a young boy, Bill read every encyclopedia in his Daytona family home. At four years old, he sang, "Would You Like to Swing on a Star?" at the Daytona Beach amphitheater to advertise a song and dance studio owned by an uncle. Even in his senior adult years, he was still singing "Danny Boy" at funerals and crooning, "On the Sunny Side of the Street" as a tourist alongside a New Orleans street musician.

Bill climbed the ladder at McKesson Distributing Company in Tampa first as a truck driver before eventually becoming president. At McKesson, he won many competitive and creative sales awards, accepting unusual prizes such as a still-working grandfather clock and the use of a Ford Deluxe Jalopy with a rumble seat for a weekend. McKesson 's  competitor, National Distributing Company, hired him to run their Tampa company and then transferred him to manage the bigger Orlando market. He worked for National from 1988 until he retired around 2004. Before his career as a distributor, Bill served in the military police for a few years... a job which garnered stories about being the colonel's chauffeur based on an intelligence test and putting a dead cat in a cannon for revelry. 

Not known for a shy nature, he easily told these and other stories with such exaggerated enthusiasm that he left many a listener wondering, "Is this true?" Two stories he told often, though seemingly outrageous and outlandish, proved irrefutable-- backed up by credible witnesses and untouched photos:  he did ride the Concorde super-sonic jet that flew at twice the speed of sound; he did meet Pope John Paul II. 

Bill loved to fish, play poker, attend birthday clubs, travel the world,  and read the newspaper. He loved to sit with Betty in their matching La-Z-Boy recliners and watch the boats go by on Lake Carrollwood.

Three months ago, Bill suffered a stroke, a fate which did not take away his indomitable and endearing personality but commandeered the schedules of doctors, therapists, nurses, and visitors around his favorite show General Hospital. The staff rearranged their schedules gladly because (as more than one staff member said), "I love Mr. Finney; There's just something special about him." 

He is survived by his wife Betty Finney (Tampa), son Lawrence Finney (Clearwater, FL), daughter Janet Finney (Fayetteville, AR), daughter Lisa Falknor and husband Douglas Falknor (Fayetteville, AR), step-daughter Deborah and husband RC Clements (Lutz, FL,), grandchildren Cameron Caballero (Lutz, FL), Rachel Falknor (Tampa, FL), Cabrianna Caballero and husband Brandon Timmerman (San Antonio, TX), Joel Falknor and wife Taylor (West Lebanon, New Hampshire), Sarah Marr and husband Will (New Orleans, LA) and great grandchild Micah David due in October (New Orleans, LA). In addition, Bill cherishes his many close friends who travelled the world with him and kept up a birthday club, poker game, and Super Bowl party tradition. He also stayed in close touch with many extended family members such as niece Cheryl McKinnon who wrote on her Facebook page, "My beloved Uncle Bill passed away. I am heartbroken."

A celebration of life service will be held at Funeral Mortuary in Tampa, Friday, August 1 at 11:00 a.m.. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the American Stroke Foundation.