'Finny' ends courageous battle with cancer

Craig Finberg's two-month battle with pancreatic cancer came to an end Friday (March 20) afternoon as he passed away at his home in Dillon at the age of 51, surrounded by his family and friends.

According to a note from his family on the CaringBridge Web site, "It was a very peaceful ending to such a wonderful life. We hope that you will join us now to help celebrate 'Finny's' life."

A memorial service is set for Thursday, March 26 at 6 p.m. in the Columbia Falls High School gymnasium. Funeral services in Dillon are scheduled for Saturday, March 28 at 2 p.m. at Beaverhead High School.

A Columbia Falls native, Finberg is a 1975 graduate of Columbia Falls High School who led the Wildcats to the Class A state basketball championship game. He earned all-state recognition and was inducted into the CFHS Hall of Fame.

After graduating from CFHS, Finberg was an outstanding player for Montana State University. As a Bobcat, he scored 1,473 points, the seventh most in school history. He finished second in assists, and became a member of the Bobcat Hall of Fame. After college, Finberg had a brief career in the Continental Basketball Association and had a tryout with the Portland Trailblazers.

Affectionately known as "Finny," Finberg coached basketball at Beaverhead High School in Dillon for 19 seasons. His 281-160 record made him the most successful coach in school history. His teams won two state championships.

For the last three seasons, Finny was an assistant coach on the Montana Western men's basketball team, also in Dillon.

Finberg was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in mid-January. He and his wife, Tammy, traveled to Zion, Ill., in February for chemotherapy treatment for Craig. On the Web site, his family said that the chemo was not working in trying to battle an aggressive form of cancer.

The family wrote on the site that it was fitting that his alma mater, Columbia Falls, was playing the team he formerly coached, Dillon, in the state championship game March 14. They said it's also fitting that his sickness is about to end during his favorite time of year March Madness.

Find the Finberg Web site at www.caringbridge.org/visit/craigfinberg.

Read more about Craig Finberg in the March 26 issue of the Hungry Horse News.