Obituary of Edward J. Finnegan

Greenwood Lake, NY

Edward Finnegan, a long-time resident of Greenwood Lake, NY, passed away peacefully on Friday, June 12, 2026 at Garnet Health Medical Center surrounded by his children.  He was 93 years old.  The son of Edward Finnegan, Sr. and Julia “Vera” Meyers, Edward was born on December 13, 1932 in Brooklyn, NY.

Edward was born in the Gerritsen Beach section of Brooklyn, the second of four children and grew up there surrounded by his grandparents, aunts and uncles and many cousins.  He always said it was the greatest place to grow up as a kid.  He played many sports there, excelling in baseball and football.  In 1953, he was drafted into the Army during the Korean war.  Up until his death, he was a member of the Greenwood Lake American Legion Post 1443.

After the army, Edward entered the world of prize fighting, had several professional bouts and ended up hanging around the famous fighters who trained in Greenwood Lake, NY.  Having always loved the area, he eventually bought property and moved there full-time in the late 1960’s.

Edward, known as “Red” by his fellow union members, was a proud member of Ironworkers Local 40 in NYC for over 60 years, keeping up his union membership even when needing to change careers in the early 1980’s due to the economy at the time.  He enjoyed a long successful second career as a professional show dog handler into his late 70’s.  He loved traveling the country with his dogs.  He was also a breeder of many champion Alaskan Malamutes, Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Akitas and Shiba Inus. 

Known for his many stories and fun-loving nature, “Ed” was a beloved father, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle, cousin, brother and friend.

Edward is survived by his three children, Laura Finnegan, Julie Finnegan and James (and Dawn) Finnegan, his grandchildren, Erin (and Will) Ramirez, Jennifer Finnegan (and Tom Valvano), Joseph Finnegan, Kevin Finnegan and Megan Seletos, his great-grandchildren, Liam, Tommy, Victoria and James, and his brother, Eugene (and Christine) Finnegan, his sister-in-law Maureen Finnegan and brother-in-law Vincent Notaro and their families.  He is preceded in death by his parents, brother Norman Finnegan, sister Marilyn Notaro and his ex-wife and mother of his children, Arline (Howard) Finnegan.

Visitation will be held on Tuesday, June 16, 2026 from 1:00pm to 3:00pm and 6:00pm to 8:00pm at the Zygmunt-Murtie Funeral Home, 4 Oak Street, Greenwood Lake, NY 10924. A funeral mass will be celebrated on Wednesday, June 17, 2026 at 10:00am at the Holy Rosary RC Church, 41 Windermere Avenue, Greenwood Lake, NY. Interment will immediately follow at the Warwick Cemetery, Oakland Avenue in Warwick.

Funeral arrangements are honorably entrusted to Zygmunt-Murtie Funeral and Cremation Service - 845-477-8240 or visit www.zmmemorials.com.