Leonard Finch, Anita Monson

Leonard J. Finch Jr.

Leonard J. Finch Jr., a former president of the La Cañada Flintridge Chamber of Commerce, died July 1 at the age of 96.

Born July 5, 1914 in Pasadena, Finch graduated from Hollywood High School, Los Angeles Junior College and USC’s School of Business Administration, where he was a class leader. He was a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy during World War II, overseeing mine and bomb disposal in the Pacific region.

Finch had a varied career and became actively involved in community service. In addition to serving the local chamber of commerce he was a member of the La Cañada Irrigation District board of directors and volunteered with the Junior Baseball Assn.

He was preceded in death in by his wife of 48 years, Nancy Fogwell, and by his second wife, Betty Jane Flood, whom he married in 1991. He is survived by children Janice Finch Schumacher of La Cañada, Christine Finch (Joseph) Cease of the Woodlands, Texas, and Barry (Sherri) Finch of Laguna Hills. He also leaves nine grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, his brother-in-law Robert (Helen) Fogwell and numerous nieces and nephews.

Anita Monson

Former La Cañadan Anita Shiells Holshouser Monson died July 23 at her Acton, Calif., home, following a six-year battle with cancer. She was 51.

She was born in Santa Paula on Dec. 9, 1958, to James and Solveig Shiells and moved with her family to La Cañada in 1961. She was a member of the La Cañada High School Class of 1977.

Survivors include her daughter Christina (Holshouser) Judson and son-in-law Tracy Judson of Canyon Country; husband Ken Monson of Acton and his two children from a previous marriage, Nicole and Kevin; father James Shiells of Fillmore; brothers and sisters-in-law David Shiells and Kathy Wilson of La Cañada, Donald Shiells and Lori Cifarellie of Chatsworth, and Roger and Susan Shiells of Canyon Country.

Services were held at Eternal Valley Memorial Park in Newhall on July 25.