Owens Express baseball player Michael Finch has been through more tragedy in the last six months than
most people experience in a lifetime.
On Sept. 22, the 19-year-old Norwalk native lost his aunt to cancer. Just months later, his mother,
Wanda, died of the same type of cancer on Jan. 17.
"It all started at her sister’s funeral. She started to have some back pain and they thought it was
just a back issue, but it turned out to be that same type of cancer," said Owens Express baseball
coach Devin Taylor.
The tragic news continued when the Express team was on its recent spring break trip to play a series of
games in Panama City, Fla. when Finch received word that his father, Mike, had died. Finch’s younger
sister, Ellen, found his body on the family’s kitchen floor.
"He was still trying to get over the death of his mother when his dad passed away," Taylor
said.
"He is 19-years-old and has custody of his teenaged sister and is pretty much going to be the father
figure in her life and take over all the financial responsibilities. "That’s a lot to take on at
19-years-old," Taylor said.
"This is one of those stories you see or hear about on TV and you never expect it to happen to you
or someone you know," Taylor said.
In the wake of the deaths, the baseball team and Owens’ athletic department have rallied around Finch.

An online donation site has been established for Finch and his sister at: www.gofundme.com/7FHYRC.
The hope is to raise $50,000, with current donations coming in near $5,000.
"We want to make sure Michael and his sister are taken care of for a really long time," Taylor
said
"This is a time for us to come together as a community and just as human beings to step in and help
Michael and his sister out."
The Owens community has also showed its emotional support of Finch.
After the new broke while the baseball team was in Panama City, Finch and his teammates decided to still
take the field.
"I was going to cancel the game, but he said he wanted to play," Taylor said.
"We went out on the field that day as a team for Michael and we played for Michael."
After receiving the word of the third tragedy, the women’s basketball team wrote "Finch" on
their shoes to show its support. Athletes and coaches from other Express sporting teams have also
rallied around him.
"He is a great teammate and he is just a great, lovable kid all-around," Taylor said of Finch.

While the past several months have been extremely difficult for Finch, he has plans to continue on with
his education and baseball career at Owens.
"He said he wanted to continue getting an education and playing baseball because that is what his
parents would have wanted," Taylor said.
"I know that when I was recruiting Michael that was a big priority for his parents – getting him an
education."
Finch returned to classes and practice on Monday.