Walk honors civic leader Jerry Finnell
Saturday was cloudy–not great tourist weather–but perfect for The Jerry Finnell Lagoon to Lagoon Memorial Walk. No sweat, no sunburn.
About 75 people of all ages turned out for the stroll along Del Mar’s shoreline, from Torrey Pines State Beach to Dog Beach – that’s from the Los Penasquitos Lagoon to the San Dieguito Lagoon, which Finnell had worked to restore to function and vitality.
Finnell, who died last year from leukemia, had retired as a senior executive in the accounting firm KPMG and was lauded for the fiscal acumen he brought to the Del Mar City Council, where he served from 2002 to 2007.
He was also treasurer on the founding board of Del Mar Community Connections, the social service organization that organized the event. The walk raised money for DMCC’s care management program, which assists seniors to “age in place,” or remain living independently in their homes, according to Shirley King, DMCC president.
At the end of the walk everyone regrouped for a brief civic leadership ceremony at Dog Beach. The crowd donned blue event t-shirts and munched on strawberries and lemon cake. Nearly a dozen of Finnell’s relatives were there, some from as far away as Utah.
But beyond honoring Jerry Finnell, the work of other civic leaders and council members, many in attendance, was also acknowledged. “This event was meant to bring people together who have a high level of volunteerism,” said King.
Plus, this year marks the 50th anniversary of Del Mar’s incorporation as a city–another thing to celebrate.
“It’s not hard to get everybody together. Many of these people have spent their whole lives in Del Mar, and we’re all familiar,” King said.
Still, by 11 a.m. folks were taking the shuttle provided by DMCC back to their cars, moving on with other weekend activities.
And Finnell’s wife, Kathy, remembered her husband in a way that reflected his memorial walk: “Jerry was very organized. He was a great prioritizer. He could get more done in five minutes than the rest of us could in a day.”
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