Earl L. Finkler

Earl Leo Finkler of Medford, passed away on March 5, 2022.

A funeral service will take place at 11am on Tuesday, March 15 at Hemer-Pickerign Funeral Home in Medford. Visitation will start at 9:30am.   

The service will be livestreamed to the funeral home's facebook page at Hemer-Pickerign Funeral & Cremation Services.

Earl was born on February 2, 1940, in Milwaukee. He attended Pius XI High School and Marquette University earning a degree in journalism. He went on to earn a master’s degree in urban affairs from University of Wisconsin Milwaukee.  Earl lived in many different places throughout his career in city planning. He spent his later years in Barrow, Alaska where he worked for the North Slope Borough and met his wife, Chris, before returning to Wisconsin to retire in 2008.

He had a zest for life and had many interests including astronomy, philosophy, current events, baseball (especially the Chicago Cubs and the movie Field of Dreams), and his beloved husky dogs, Nuna and Avu. He wrote articles and opinion pieces for news outlets including the Associated Press and was a radio host at KBRW in Barrow. He contributed a weekly guest segment on KBRW for many years after moving to Medford until he was no longer able due to his struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. Earl made friends everywhere he went. He had a deep passion for civil rights and standing up for the “little guy.”

Earl is survived by his wife, Chris Finkler, his siblings Lynn Klessig and John Finkler, his first wife, Bonnie Sisson Finkler and their three daughters, Ann Krauss, Kira Finkler and Victoria Rome. He is further survived by eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Leo and Helen Finkler, and one of his granddaughters, Alyse Krauss.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Taylor County Humane Society, the Francis L. Simek Memorial Library in Medford, or the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, AZ.

Hemer-Pickerign Funeral & Cremation Services of Medford and Rib Lake is serving the family. Online condolences can be left at www.hemerfuneralservice.com.

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