08/06/2026
Following is the obituary for SLBHA Board Member Gloria Finch. Join us in sending prayers to her family and all who loved her.
Gloria Jean Finch of Long Pond, Pennsylvania passed away on Wednesday July 29, 2026. She was the loving wife of Vincent B. Finch and for 48 years they partnered to support extended family and guide their children, Randy and Diana.
Born October 8, 1940, in Richmond, Virginia, she was the daughter of Willie and Louise (Ruffin) Parker. Gloria graduated from Virginia Union College in 1963 and became a social worker. Her hard work, dedication and further study led her to become the Director of Child Guidance for Newark, New Jersey Public Schools.
After retiring, the family moved to Long Pond in 1997. Gloria fully embraced her new home and found many ways to live a life of service, happily filling key roles in several community organizations.
She was a member of the Board of the Stroudsburg Little Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church built in 1868 in Stroudsburg by returning Colored Troops (USCT) who were Civil War veterans. Gloria was instrumental in the multi-year community-led restoration of the building, which reopened in February 2025 as a museum and African American literature lending library.
Gloria served the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of the Poconos in several capacities. She was Chairperson of the Membership Committee, and as a member of the Fellowship’s Board of Trustees, she single-handedly located an available building that the Fellowship subsequently purchased, making it possible for the Congregation to own its own building for the first time in their history. Gloria was dedicated to the Congregation’s social justice initiatives and worked with others to provide summer day camp arts activities for young children that were designed to encourage learning.
In the broader Monroe County community, Gloria was an active member of the Women’s Resources of Monroe County (now called Safe Monroe) as well as the Monroe County Democratic Party.
Gloria is predeceased by her parents, including her stepmother, Ruth Parker (Lee), and her beloved older sister, Doris L. Parker. She is survived by her husband, Vincent; son Randall T. Finch, his companion Tawana Graves; daughter Diana Finch; 3 grandchildren Sydney, Kyla and Aaliyah; niece and nephew, Dawn Hawkins and Davie Hawkins; sister-in-law, Anasa Tatum; 6 great-grandchildren, 2great grandnieces, one great grandnephew, and a host of other extended family members.
There will be a viewing on Monday, August 10, 2026, from 11 am to 12 Noon and a service at 12 Noon at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of the Poconos, 118 Knight Street, Stroudsburg, PA. .Joseph J. P**a Funeral Home will oversee the arrangements.
To join the service via Zoom, click on the link below:
https://zoom.us/j/4647463847
Passcode: UUFP
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Stroudsburg Little Bethel Historical Association https://stroudsburglittlebethel.org/
or the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of the Poconos. http://uupoconos.org/
