Obituary of Cecilia Jeanette Finney

Cecilia J Finney, age 83, passed away on February 25, 2016. She was born in Hawaii, but lived in Simi Valley for over 50 years. When still a teenager she began hula dancing in Hawaii and performed professionally for several years in nightly shows for tourists. She moved to the mainland with her husband and settled in California where she raised five children. When the children were older, she pursued another professional venture – owning and managing “Sugar 'n Spice,” a popular bakery in Simi Valley during the seventies and early eighties. Though she left Hawaii as a young woman, she never forgot her roots. Throughout her life she would constantly remind her children of their Hawaiian heritage, instilling a deep pride of who they were and their spiritual ties to the islands. Honoring her Hawaiian background continued all her life, demonstrated recently when she taught her great granddaughter, Hakela, the hula, which she performed in front of family and friends. Cecilia will always be remembered as Ooee, kakooi, lani (beautiful as the light of the heavens). Her family will miss this bright, shining light guiding their lives. She is survived by her husband of over 55 years, Gerald G. Finney; four of her children, Karen Kamaka, Richard Finney, Kevin Finney, Derek Finney; her five grandchildren, Jermaine Kamaka, Rachel Finney, Emily Finney, Olivia Finney, Owen Finney; and her two great grandchildren, Gabriel Kamaka and Hakela Kamaka.