Notable Death: Marie Doris Jean (Horne) Finch

A fierce advocate, a neighborhood matriarch, and a woman who fed, fought for, and lifted generations.

Marie Doris Jean (Horne) Finch — known simply as Ms. Finch, Ms. Marie, Doris Jean, or Aunt Doris — passed away peacefully at home on November 8, 2025, at the age of 89. With her passing, Evansville lost one of its most formidable community champions and most beloved neighborhood matriarchs.

A Woman Formed by Faith and Service

Born on August 12, 1936, to Grady and Emmaline Horne, Ms. Finch attended St. John Catholic School and later Reitz Memorial High School. She remained a lifelong member of St. John Catholic Church, proudly serving as a Eucharistic Minister until the church’s closing on July 1, 2014.

After grieving the loss of her home church, she joined Memorial Baptist Church in 2015, where she continued to worship faithfully until her passing.

Her life was guided by faith, kindness, and an unwavering devotion to the people she loved.

A Community Advocate Long Before It Was Popular

Ms. Finch was known for her generosity — feeding anyone who was hungry, housing anyone who needed a place to lay their head, and always knowing who to call and where to go to get someone the help they needed.

She spent 40 years working for CAPE in various roles and served as a youth recreation coordinator for the Evansville Police Department. She was also a 4-H leader, a mentor, and a steady advocate for countless families.

But it was her activism that cemented her place in Evansville’s history.

From the Kitchen Table to the State Capitol

Ms. Finch worked with Civil Rights and Welfare Rights programs, lobbying in Indianapolis to ensure mothers and fathers were treated fairly. She fought to increase food stamps from $35 to $50 per family — and won.

She pressed the Evansville Housing Authority to allow air conditioners in public housing units for the first time. When a young man from Erie Homes was unjustly arrested after officers began “walking the beat,” Marie led a large march from Erie Homes to the old Vanderburgh County Jail.

She marched with the Black Panthers in Chicago in 1970 for the Free Breakfast Program, because children deserved to eat — no excuses.

She picketed Sears & Roebuck for equal rights. She organized client councils. She burned up the phone lines to Congress. And she never hesitated to speak truth to power.

Marie Finch was a fighter — and she fought for everybody.

A Neighborhood Legend

Anyone who grew up in Erie Homes or nearby knows the infamous phrase:
“Somebody get my butcher knife!”

It wasn’t a threat — it was a warning that Ms. Finch was serious about protecting her community, breaking up fights, and keeping order.

She fed kids, corrected them, and yes — she’d give them a whipping if they needed it. And those same kids grew up loving her for it.

She taught ceramics at the Lincoln Senior Center, played clabber and bingo every chance she got, and filled every room with a mix of discipline, stories, humor, and love.

As one community member said: “If Marie was on your side, you didn’t need anybody else.”

A Legacy Larger Than One Lifetime

Marie served or collaborated with:

• Civil Rights and Welfare Rights organizations
• CAPE
• Pigeon Township Trustee’s office
• Helping Our People Excel (HOPE)
• Catholic Charities
• St. John Catholic Church
• Aurora
• Habitat for Humanity
• Legal Services
• Evansville Housing Authority
• Erie Homes Tenant Council
  …and many more groups committed to justice and human dignity.

She was a longtime precinct committeeman who took voting — and making sure everyone else voted — seriously.

Her influence shaped policy, neighborhoods, and generations of Evansvillians.

Her Family, Her Heart

Ms. Finch was preceded in death by her parents; daughter Catrina Uvean Finch; sister Leona Harris; brother James Harrison Horne; and grandson DaShambe Atkins.

She leaves behind her children — Savedra Finch, Leawanna Rankin, Elexica (Johnny) McAlister, and Rolandan (Barbara) Finch I — along with her grandchildren Sherra, Anteeshia (Likenson), Savedra, Ryisi, Scotche, Rolandan II, Blair, Shelby (Vanessa), Nyjia, Jabez, Trinity, Jasanni, and Jahzara; 11 great-grandchildren; and a host of nieces, nephews, extended family, neighbors, and friends who adored her.

Her celebration of life was held November 21 at Memorial Baptist Church, with burial at Oak Hill Cemetery. R. Mason Brothers Memorial Chapel entrusted arrangements.

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A Torch Passed Forward

In a 2021 profile written for Our Times, Evangelist Sylvia B. Tapp captured the essence of Marie Finch: a woman who knew everybody, helped everybody, and expected nothing in return. Marie’s last wish was simple — that others would pick up the torches she carried for so long. Evansville is brighter because she lived. And it is quieter, but still guided, because she is gone.