REV. DR. WILLIAM WALLACE FINLATOR


RALEIGH - The Rev. Dr. William Wallace Finlator Sr., 93, died Monday, July 3, 2006 at Springmoor Retirement Community in Raleigh. A memorial service was conducted at Pullen Memorial Baptist Church on Friday, July 7, at 2 p.m., with a reception to follow in Finlator Fellowship Hall of the church.

He was born in Louisburg, the second son of John Haywood and Bain Best Finlator. He grew up in Raleigh. He earned his B.A. at Wake Forest College in 1934 and a Master in Theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ken., in 1937. He was Pastor Emeritus of Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in Raleigh, having served as pastor from 1956-1982.

Dr. Finlator was preceded in death by his brother, John, and his sister, Dorothy.

Surviving: his wife, Mary Elizabeth Purvis Finlator; son, W. Wallace Finlator Jr. (Silke) of Raleigh; daughters, Elizabeth F. McCutchen (Joseph) of Farmville, Va., and Martha Dell Finlator of Alexandria, Va.; and eight grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, Dr. Finlator has requested that memorial gifts be sent to the ACLU of North Carolina, P.O. Box 28004, Raleigh, NC 27611-8004; or to Doctors Without Borders USA, P. O. Box 5030, Hagerstown, MD 21741-5030.

Arrangements by Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, Raleigh.