Biography

Elizabeth Corl Finsterwalder, 88, of Halstead Road, Cortland, N.Y., passed away at her home on Monday, Feb. 22, 2010, while under the care of her loving family and hospice.

A lifelong area resident, Betty was born July 7, 1921, in Homer, a daughter of the late Earl and Margaret Aungier Corl. She grew up on the family farm on Corl Hill in Homer.

She graduated from Homer Academy in 1939 and went on to CCBI in Syracuse, graduating in 1940.

She returned to Cortland and began working at the Cortland County Cooperative Extension in the Farm Bureau and later with 4-H, retiring in 1986.

Mrs. Finsterwalder and her husband, Rudolph B. Finsterwalder who she married in 1945, became a stay-at-home wife and mother to a growing family, which became four children. She returned to the Farm Bureau with 4-H after raising her children, retiring in 1986.

Mrs. Finsterwalder, her husband, Rudolph, and his twin brother Herman, operated a truck farm, commercial growers of potatoes and cabbage on Route 11 in Homer for many years.

Betty was a 65-year communicant of St. Margaret’s Church in Homer, she was a member of the Catholic Daughters and volunteered at the Cortland Regional Medical Center and RSVP for 24 years.

Surviving are her four children, James E. (Betsy) of Cortland, Edward L. of Cortland, and Nancy A. of Skaneateles and Patrick C. (Cynthia) Finsterwalder of Cortland; her sister, Helen Mata of Chesterfield, Mo.; five grandchildren Pamela (Sam Adams) of Framingham, Mass., Analise (Michael) Bader of Wildwood, N.J., Sarah (Kelvin) McComb of Asheboro, N.C., Chelsea and Benjamin Finsterwalder of Cortland and two great-grandchildren Saulo and Logan Hernandez of Asheboro, N.C., and many nieces and nephews.

She was predeceased by her husband, Rudolph B. Finsterwalder on Nov. 7, 1998.

Services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at St. Margaret’s Roman Catholic Church, 14 Copeland Ave., Homer, where a Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated by the Rev. R. Daniel DeLorme. Interment in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Cortland, will follow.

The family will receive friends at the Donald L. Barber Funeral Home, 5016 N. Main St., Homer, from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday.

Memorial contributions in Mrs. Finsterwalder’s name may be directed to St. Margaret’s Church, 14 Copeland Ave., Homer, NY 13077 or to the charity of one’s choice.

Calling Hours

Thursday February 25, 2010, 6:00 - 8:00PM at Donald L. Barber Funeral Home
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Mass of Christian Burial

Friday February 26, 2010, 11:00AM at St. Maraget's Church
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