James R. “Jim” Fink, who piloted a B-17 named Wee Willie over the skies of Germany in World War II, died at age 79 of complications of Alzheimer’s disease on October 10, 2003 at Copper Ridge Alzheimer’s Care in Sykesville, MD. Mr. Fink, the son of the late Telford N. and Jean O. Fink, was a former resident of Tyrone.
Mr. Fink was born in 1924 in Bellefonte, PA. and raised on Pennsylvania Ave. in Tyrone. After graduating from Tyrone Area High School, Mr. Fink enlisted in 1942 in the Army Air Corp. As 1st lieutenant he flew 35 bombing missions over Germany with the 322nd Squadron of the 91st Bomb Group, based in Bassingbourne , England. Those missions included historic raids over Schweinfurt’s defense plants and Remagen, the heavily defended bridge that finally fell in 1945.
After returning from combat in 1945, he married his high school sweetheart, the former Mary Jane Haag, also of Tyrone, in Memphis, Tennessee. The couple was married 58 years.
Mr. Fink chose a career as a pilot, flying in the late 1940s as a corporate pilot for the Danley Corporation and General Motors in Detroit. In 1958 he moved his family to Towson, MD when he accepted a position as a Corporate Pilot for the then Martin-Marietta Corporation. He retired from Martin-Marietta in 1984, having been given the prestigious awards of the Jefferson Cup for Excellence from Martin-Marietta and the Aviation Pioneer Award from the Sperry Corporation.
After his retirement, he traveled the US extensively with his wife and enjoyed home remodeling projects with his children. He was a proud member of The Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post No. 1 in Paris, and a member of the Eighth Air Force Association.
Mr. Fink is survived by Mary, his wife of 58 years, and 4 children: J. Daniel Fink of Reston, VA, Frances Finnegan of Timonium, David Fink of Towson, and Martha Turlik of Monrovia, MD. He is also survived by his grandchildren: Zachary and Kara Fink of Reston, VA; Chris Finnegan of San Francisco, CA, Ryan and Erin Finnegan of Timonium, MD., Matthew Fink of Catonsville, MD., William Fink of Towson, MD. and Sarah, Hannah and Michael Turlik of Monrovia MD. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews.
A funeral Mass was offered on Oct.13 at the Loyola Blakefield High School Chapel. Mr. Fink was buried at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens, near his former residence in Timonium, MD.
