Christine Finnegan

Christine Walker Forward Finnegan was born August 14, 1957 to Lunetta and Dewey E. Forward; sister to Dewey E. Forward, Jr., Jeffery W. Forward and Patty Brushette; mother to Sarah N., Sean F. and Brendan W. Finnegan; stepmother to David and Matt Brooks; cousin of Judy Forward, Sandi and Chuck Long , Robb Forward, Al Findlay, Stephen and Kathy Findlay, David Findlay, Sharon Lindsey and Marily Walker; sister-in-law to Robert and Mary Ellen Finnegan, Thomas and JoAnn Finnegan and Michael Finnegan; aunt to 16 Finnegan nieces and nephews. Her daughter, Sarah, is a graduate from The Ohio State University with a degree in International Studies and currently works for the A.R. Davis Insurance Company in Beachwood. Sean is a senior at Miami University with a major in business management. Brendan is a junior at Ohio University with a major in business marketing. Christine graduated from Hathaway Brown in 1975 and from Hamilton College in 1979 magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. She later went on to complete her Masters in Business Administration and Health Care Administration from Cleveland State University in 1992, and was elected to be a member of the Sigma Chi Honorary Society for business. She married John Finnegan in June, 1984 and was married for 17 years. She worked for the General Electric Company at Nela Park in the 1980's, started her own consulting practice called Finnegan & Associates in the 1990's while raising her children, accepted a position in 1994 as Vice President of Managed Care at St. Anthony's Hospital in Alton, Illinois and later became Vice President of Health Design Plus from 1997 to 2007. Christine was first diagnosed with stage III breast cancer on March 7th, 2005. She underwent surgery, chemotherapy and radiation treatment through Ireland Cancer Center at University Hospitals and completed her treatment by Christmas, 2005. In 2007, she moved to Chicago to become the Director of National Accounts for Coventry Health Care. Christine experienced a recurrence of the breast cancer in November, 2008, and was treated at first by Northwestern University Medical Center and then later at Ireland Cancer Center. She was accepted into a clinical trial in September, 2009 at the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, Md. Christine was a member of the Hudson Community Chapel, involved in Habitat for Humanity, Relay for Life, Race for the Cure and loved performing community service especially if it involved children. When she moved back from Chicago and lived in Chagrin Falls, she attended Grace Evangelical Church in Newbury. Her brother, Dewey, who owns the Chagrin Falls Popcorn Shop, developed a cranberry-flavored pink popcorn in her honor called, "Chrissy Corn". For every bag sold, a $1 donation is made to the Gathering Place, an organization devoted to providing free services to cancer patients and their families with locations on both the east and west side of Cleveland. Christine started an endowment fund at Hathaway Brown School called "the Pay it Forward Fund", and it is designed to help educate young woman on breast cancer as well as to provide resources for families experiencing breast cancer. The family prefers that those who wish may make contributions in her name to The Gathering Place, 23300 Commerce Park Cleveland, OH 44122-5811 or to Hathaway Brown, 19600 North Park Boulevard Shaker Heights, OH 44122-1899. Please click on the links for service and viewing times and directions. Friends may call at Brown-Forward, 17022 Chagrin Blvd, Shaker Hts, OH on Friday, January 8th from 2-4, 6-8 PM. A Funeral Service will be held the following day, Saturday, January 9th at 3pm. The service will be at The Federated Church of Chagrin Falls, 76 Bell Street Chagrin Falls, OH 44022-2956.


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