Years ago, political science professors Paul Abramson and Ada Finifter made a pact — depending on which of the friends passed away first, they promised to write each other’s lifelong memoir.
At the age of 73, Finifter died on October 29, 2011 after a two-year battle with multiple myeloma.
On January 12, Abramson published an In Memoriam piece in the journal “PS: Political Science & Politics” for his dear friend and colleague. He had stayed true to his word.
“She was my friend for 44 years,” he said. “At a time when her health was totally failing, there was that wonderful spirit.”
Abramson was one of many who hold the memory of Finifter close to heart. After her death in October, funeral services were held in New York where she lived, but with deep-seated roots permeating the Lansing area, friends and family prepared a local memorial service on Sunday morning in her honor.
More than 100 friends and family filled the rows of Congregation Kehillat Israel, 2014 Forest Road, in Lansing, as Rabbi Michael Zimmerman led a traditional Jewish ceremony to celebrate the life of Finifter.
“Our memories of her are still alive and crystal clear, as if she is with us now,” Zimmerman said.
Finifter spent more than 40 years teaching at MSU and retired in 2008. Aside from teaching, she was secretary-treasurer of the Jewish Faculty & Staff Association and a contributor to the Jewish Studies Program.
Abramson said he always was impressed by her leadership for younger generations, as she established the Ada Weintraub Finifter Endowed Fund in Jewish Studies.
“Ada made a major contribution,” he said. “Many future students will benefit from her generosity.”
As friends and family began sharing their personal stories about Finifter, many wiped away tears, some from the laughter of Finifter’s signature antics, and some from the pain of losing someone so special.
Her only sibling, Leon Weintraub, described his sometimes stubborn sister as thoughtful and challenging, yet caring and loving. After she retired, Finifter moved to New York to be closer to her relatives.
“She loved having family nearby,” Weintraub said. “She loved having the culture of the Big Apple, which practically ran through her blood.”
Friends often described her spunky attitude as “New York Ada,” as Weintraub said she often could make even the hardest of taxi drivers of New York stop and wait for her to cross a street. A lifelong learner, Finifter strived to learn as much as she could about anything and everything.
Zimmerman said while Finifter was in the hospital battling her illness, she never missed a beat, studying her own illness and presenting her research to her doctors.
“Ada had been to hell and back, finding courage even as she encountered terror,” he said.
Finifter had her friends at heart, always keeping touch with her home in Lansing. Many friends recalled times they mentioned something to her in a casual conversation, and although they themselves forgot about the topic, they would receive a phone call days later from Finifter with a complete and detailed search.
“She truly was exactly the type of self-actualized person confident enough in herself not to flaunt it,” Zimmerman said.
She is survived by her brother and sister-in-law, Nancy Weintraub of Potomac, Maryland, niece and two nephews.
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