Zavazda Finnegan-Thompson

Zavazda Esther Finnegan-Thompson, 94, Indianapolis, passed away April 5, 2012. She was born May 1, 1917. She worked for Eli Lilly and Company, retiring in 1980. Esther loved her church, traveling and dance. She was preceded in death by her parents, siblings, husbands, niece and step-daughter. Esther is survived by her son, Lawrence Michael (Margi) Finnegan and daughter, Karen Wright; sister-in-law, Irene Raptcheff; and many grandchildren, step-grandchildren, great grandchildren and great -great grandchildren and niece, Linda Fine. Visitation will be held Tuesday, April 10 from 4pm to 8pm in Stevens Mortuary, 5520 W. 10th St., Indpls. The funeral service will be Wednesday, April 11 at 11am in St. Stephen Bulgarian Orthodox Church, 1435 North Medford Avenue, Indpls. Contributions may be made to the church. Zavazda Esther Finnegan-Thompson May 1, 1917 - April 5, 2012 Known by several different names and serving in several different roles in her 94 years, ZaVazda Esther Finnegan-Thompson loved life to the fullest. Her roles included daughter, aunt, wife, mother, secretary, traveler, church/Sisterhood member, friend, and lively dancer. Zvezda Repcheva was the youngest child of George and Ellena Raptcheff, who had come to America from Ekshi-su, Macedonia, (now known as Xino-Nero near Florina in northwest Greece). She was two years old when her father died, leaving her mother to raise Olga, Gordon, Nadejda and Zvezda in a strange new land without being able to speak English. The circumstances of her early life played a crucial role in strengthening her into the person she came to be - she learned to accept difficulties and persevere through them. Her first husband, Larry Finnegan, returned from his service as a Seabee in the South Pacific, but died in an accident at home after making it safely through WWII. She supported herself, her then 7- and 5-year-old children Karen and Mickey, as well as her mother, by working as a secretary at Eli Lilly and Company. Her main reason for retiring in 1980 was to spend more time with her 5 grandsons, who lived out of state. Esther loved to travel! Among her trips to Europe, she and Dorothy (Checkoff) Sherman were privileged to be part of the tour of several Bulgarian monasteries in connection with the 25th anniversary of the restoration of the patriarchs. Most of her other travels included visiting her children and grandsons Herb, Ken and Larry Wright in Ohio and Jason and Shannon Finnegan in Colorado and taking them on various trips. Esther participated in the life of St. Stephen Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Church as a member of the Sisterhood and also as a member of the Church Board. She assisted with counting offerings and keeping financial records for several years. In the late 1980's, an old friend returned to Indianapolis from Alaska after his wife passed away. Within a year of becoming re-acquainted, Bill Thompson and Esther were married in October 1989. They went to Hawaii, Australia and New Zealand on their honeymoon and subsequently traveled to Switzerland in addition to driving their RV all over the U.S. and even up to Alaska. Bill passed away in 1996. Esther lived a very full and active life, but we have been missing the lively, spirited Esther for almost ten years due to her advanced dementia. May she now have peace and rest. * * * * * * * Her family extends their most sincere appreciation for your visit.