OBIT: James R. "Jim" FINK, 2003, formerly of Blair County, PA

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_________________________________________ 

JAMES R. "JIM" FINK 

  James R. "Jim" Fink, who piloted a B-17 named Wee Willie over the 
skies of Germany in World War II, died at age 79 of complications of 
Alzheimer's disease on October 10, 2003 at Copper Ridge Alzheimer's 
Care in Sykesville, MD. Mr. Fink, the son of the late Telford N. and 
Jean O. Fink, was a former resident of Tyrone. 
  Mr. Fink was born in 1924 in Bellefonte, PA. and raised on 
Pennsylvania Ave. in Tyrone. After graduating from Tyrone Area High 
School, Mr. Fink enlisted in 1942 in the Army Air Corp. As 1st 
lieutenant he flew 35 bombing missions over Germany with the 322nd 
Squadron of the 91st Bomb Group, based in Bassingbourne , England. 
Those missions included historic raids over Schweinfurt's defense 
plants and Remagen, the heavily defended bridge that finally fell in 
1945.
  After returning from combat in 1945, he married his high school 
sweetheart, the former Mary Jane Haag, also of Tyrone, in Memphis, 
Tennessee. The couple was married 58 years. 
  Mr. Fink chose a career as a pilot, flying in the late 1940s as a 
corporate pilot for the Danley Corporation and General Motors in 
Detroit. In 1958 he moved his family to Towson, MD when he accepted a 
position as a Corporate Pilot for the then Martin-Marietta Corporation. 
He retired from Martin-Marietta in 1984, having been given the 
prestigious awards of the Jefferson Cup for Excellence from Martin-
Marietta and the Aviation Pioneer Award from the Sperry Corporation.
  After his retirement, he traveled the US extensively with his wife 
and enjoyed home remodeling projects with his children. He was a proud 
member of The Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post No. 1 in Paris, and a 
member of the Eighth Air Force Association.  

  Mr. Fink is survived by Mary, his wife of 58 years, and 4 children: 
J. Daniel Fink of Reston, VA, Frances Finnegan of Timonium, David Fink 
of Towson, and Martha Turlik of Monrovia, MD. He is also survived by 
his grandchildren: Zachary and Kara Fink of Reston, VA; Chris Finnegan 
of San Francisco, CA, Ryan and Erin Finnegan of Timonium, MD., Matthew 
Fink of Catonsville, MD., William Fink of Towson, MD. and Sarah, Hannah 
and Michael Turlik of Monrovia MD. He is also survived by many nieces 
and nephews.
  A funeral Mass was offered on Oct.13 at the Loyola Blakefield High 
School Chapel. Mr. Fink was buried at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens, 
near his former residence in Timonium, MD 

Tyrone Daily Herald, October 16, 2003