Stephen D. Finlayson, 73, of Burns, passed away March 21 at Harney District Hospital.

He was born May 11, 1944, in Buffalo Center, Iowa, to John and Alta (Zenor) Finlayson, one of 12 children. Steve served as a senior airman in the U.S. Air Force during the Cuban missile crisis and loaded B-52s with bombs on Guam during the Vietnam war. Four years later, Steve attended and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Northwest Missouri State in 1971. In 1967, he met and married Stephanie Joy Peterson of Ames, Iowa, who worked as a nurse while Steve earned his juris doctorate from University of Missouri Law School in 1974. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Aug. 26, 2017.

Steve and Stephanie first came to Harney County when Steve was hired as legal counsel for Burns Paiute Tribe. As the Finlayson family was growing, Amy and Alex were born. Steve opened his own law office and also served nearly 30 years as the Burns city attorney. In his private practice, he shared a building with long-time attorney Wendell Gronso, and earned his place amongst the heavy hitters of the Eastern Oregon Bar Association, including Gronso, Bill Cramer Sr., Carl Burnham, Mike Kilpatrick, and Milo Pope. There were occasional evenings when, after a hard-fought courtroom battle, the cigar smoke, clink of glasses, and testosterone filled the back conference room. Steve’s high level of ethics and passion for the law were admired by his fellow attorneys, and he was respected throughout the state.

In later years, Steve served as legal counsel to Harney Electric Cooperative, and as Hines city attorney, all the while continuing his private law practice. After the kids had graduated high school and gone on to college, Stephanie stepped in to serve as legal assistant to Steve, and they worked well together, specializing in real estate and probate cases. In December 2013, Steve officially retired from the city of Hines, and they wound down the private practice, setting about enjoying their grandchildren. Steve suffered from rheumatoid arthritis throughout his adulthood, but did not allow it to keep him from the hobbies he loved — motorcycling, snowmobiling, hunting, and fishing. He was also a member of the local chapters of Lions, Masons, and Elks.

Steve is survived by his wife, Stephanie; daughter, Amy Johnson of Cypress, Calif.; son, Alex Finlayson of Canyon City; three grandchildren, Dane Finlayson, Greyson and McKenzi Johnson; siblings, Bonna Pineke, Audrey Sansgard, Miriam Boettcher, and Don Finlayson, all of Iowa, Lois Elson and Dave Finlayson, both of Arizona.

He was preceded in death by both parents; as well as brother, Roger; sisters, Elaine Nye and Arlis Tuttle; and two brothers who died as infants.

A memorial service is scheduled for 11 a.m.Friday, April 6, in the Burns Elks Lodge at 118 N. Broadway in Burns, with a meal to follow.

Memorial contributions in the memory of Stephen D. Finlayson may be made to Boys Town, P.O. Box 8000, Boys Town, Neb. 68010, or the Rheumatoid Arthritis Foundation (www.helpfightra.org). Arrangements were handled by Driskill Memorial Chapel of John Day, with interment in the Willamette National Cemetery in Happy Valley.