Ocean Beach bookseller and early Peninsula Beacon publisher Keith Finley, 60, of San Diego, died peacefully on June 18, 2023.

Finley was born in 1962 in Wooster, Ohio, to Dwight and Nyda Finley. He was a graduate of Triway High School, where he played varsity football. He earned a bachelor of arts degree in English literature from Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego.

In 1987, Finley became publisher of The Beacon newspaper and sold it to a community newspaper group a few years later. He also owned Ocean Beach Books, a secondhand bookstore specializing in used, out-of-print, rare, and antiquarian hardcover and paperback books for nearly two decades. Most recently Finley was employed as a manager with the People’s Food Co-op in Ocean Beach.

“Keith was both an athlete and a scholar,” said his sister, Sharon Finley Lowe. “He got his love for books and reading from our mom who would read to us every night before bed when we were little. Growing up, Keith always had a book in hand and it was not necessarily light reading.”

Added Lowe: “If we had a snow day from school, just for fun, Keith would pull a book from our set of encyclopedias and read through an entire volume by the end of the day. One of the last books he was reading was about our Scottish heritage. The Finley’s were highlander Scots that belonged to the Farquharson Clan whose motto is ‘fidelity and fortitude.’ How fitting a description of Keith. He was a devoted father, loyal friend, and kind brother who watched out for others.”

Two classmates of Finley’s at PLNU, Howard Owens and Doug Brunk, also spoke highly of him. Owens, who was editor of “The Point,” the university’s newspaper, recalls that he, Finley (managing editor), and Brunk (sports editor), were all big fans of the TV show “M*A*S*H.”

“Every time we passed each other on campus, we would trade (“M*A*S*H”) lines,” said Owens about Keith and Doug.

After graduation, Finley and another classmate purchased The Beacon, then a bi-weekly, and Ocean Beach Books, from Dorette Jackson. After a couple of months, Owens noted Finley’s business partner decided owning a newspaper wasn’t for him.

“He offered me his half of the business and Keith okayed it,” noted Owens, who then became the paper’s co-publisher, managing editor, editorial writer, one of the photographers, and the only ad sales rep. “Pierce Harris, our chief photographer, taught both me and Keith how to develop film, and when we moved the bookstore and newspaper office to Cable Street, we built a darkroom,” said Owens, who recalled many “all-night sessions” laying out the paper on Cable Street, and of working hard to scratch together enough money to buy early MacIntosh computers with a 50 MB external hard drive.

“Keith began layout in the middle of the day before we went to press,” said Owens. “I joined in the evening. We worked all night. Then it was my job in the (early) morning to drive to La Mesa and drop off the page proofs. Then back to OB for a couple of hours of sleep before driving back to La Mesa to pick up the papers before delivering them to drop spots all over OB and Point Loma. I’m not sure how he (Keith) got this done after he bought me out.”

Added Owens: “Keith was a hard-working man dedicated to whatever tasks he took on. He was driven to see a task through. Keith was as dedicated a community journalist as I’ve ever known.”

Of Finley’s character, Brunk said: “He became an older brother to me. He was probably one of the most stoic people I’ve ever known. He had great analytical skills and was a master of newspaper layout. He’s the kind of person you’d want to have on a jury. He had a good head on his shoulders. The light of his life were his two children.”

Added Brunk: “Keith knew a lot about many things. He was one of the most genuine people. His authenticity really rang through. He couldn’t care less about keeping up with the Joneses. He just wanted to enjoy his family and his friends. He was just a dedicated, good guy who was happy with his life and so incredibly proud of his kids. There’s a lesson for all of us in that.”

Brunk said Finley spent virtually all of his vacation time traveling to Germany to visit his beloved children. He added Finley also enjoyed camping and listening to old Flamenco music, even buying himself a guitar to teach himself the music style. “And he was actually learning Japanese, too, on his own,” Brunk said.

Finley is survived by his two children, Isabelle Finley and Connor Finley, and his ex-wife Kelly (Jörg) Haensel all of Düren, Germany. Siblings include Dwilene (Gary) Young, Kokomo, Ind.; Ken (Donna) Finley, Tulare, Calif.; Diane (Rick) Rowe, Wooster; Sharon (Scott) Lowe, Mansfield, Ohio; Beth (Gabe) Landon, Wooster; in addition to four nieces and four nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents. The interment will be in the Peaceful Forest in Düren, Germany.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Sharp HospiceCare at sharp.com/inmemoryof. Online condolences and memories may be shared with the family at https://my.gather.app/remember/keith-finley.