Bryant Lee Finch, Sr., passed away at the Minneola District Hospital Long Term Care Unit on June 26, 2017, with family and friends nearby.  Lee was born on July 18, 1922, in Oakland, Californiawhere he resided with his parents, Wilhelmina "Lee" (Berger) Finch and William Chester Finch until joining the U.S. Army Air Corp (which later became the United States Air Force) in 1941, shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

While stationed at Randolph Air Force Base near San Antonio, Texas, thenPrivate Finch met his future wife Corporal Madeline Capo at a U.S.O. dance. They married in McCook,Nebraska on March 14, 1945. Shortly after their wedding, Lee was deployed overseas. Lee proudly served his country during WWII in the European Theater and later at Kunsan AFB during the Korean Conflict.

In 1963, while stationed at Offutt AFB – Strategic Air Command Headquarters, Lee retired from the Air Force as a Master Sergeantafter 22 years of service to his country. He had accepted a job as Sports Editor of the Dodge City Daily Globe. Lee, Madeline and their four childrenthen movedto Dodge City, Kansas. Lee and Madeline were married for 59 years.

Lee later became Managing Editor of the Daily Globe. He retired from the newspaper in 1988 after 25 years of employment. The Associated Press honored Lee with a commemoration award for his 25 years of service through his work with the Globe. After working at the Globe, he filled an interim position with Dodge City Community College as Public Relations Directorfor a year until a fulltime director was hired.

Lee had a love for sports his entire life. As a young man, he played baseballand football for his high school teams. At San Francisco Junior College he ran track and played on the championship soccer team. Early in his military career he boxed for various bases where he was stationed.

In Dodge City, he umpired softball and served as president for the Softball Association. He thoroughly enjoyed following the high school and college careers of hundreds of young athletes in Southwest Kansas.  In 2014,Dodge City Senior High School honored Lee with a plaque commemorating his years ofservice supporting Red Demons athletics. The plaque hangs in the Press Box at Memorial Stadium.

Lee was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Dodge City and the Lions Club where he served as President and District Governor. He delivered Meals on Wheels, was an HO train enthusiast and collector and belonged to the Boothill Model Railroaders Club. He was a life member of the Ransom Veterans of Foreign Wars, a member of the Dodge City American Legion, the Dodge City Duplicate Bridge Club and a 1989 graduate of St. Mary of the Plains College.

Lee is survived by his son William "Bill" and wife Linda (Deighton) Finchof Albuquerque, NM; grandchildren Allison Finch and fiancé Ben Cozzens of Blacklick, Ohio, and Bryan Finch and partner Maggie Feketeof Marysville, Ohio; daughter Nancy Finch Folkerts and husband Alvin Folkerts of Dodge City; and daughter Ronnie Finch DiCappo and husband Patrick Herrera of Albuquerque, NM. He was preceded in death by his parents,wife Madeline and son, Bryant Lee Finch, Jr.

A memorial service will be held at the First United Methodist Church in Dodge City on Friday, July 21 ^st , at 1:30pm with Rev. Jerre Nolte officiating. The rendering of Military Funeral Honors will follow at 3:15 at the Kansas Veterans Cemetery at Fort Dodge. Cremation has taken place. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions to the First United Methodist Church of Dodge City or the Ransom Veterans of Foreign Wars in care of Swaim Funeral Home in Dodge City.