Obituary of Robert Malcolm Finlayson

Robert Malcolm Finlayson Robert Malcolm Finlayson died on April 16, 2013, at Hospice Atlanta after a brief illness. He was 92. He was born on September 24, 1920 in Charlotte, North Carolina, where his family had lived for many generations. He graduated from Central High School in Charlotte in 1939 and had begun his career in the motion picture business as a salesman for Republic Pictures at its branch office in Charlotte. The coming of WWII changed that, as it did for most of his generation. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps shortly after the Pearl Harbor raid on December 7, 1941, and he served in England with the 8th Air Force for 18 months, returning to the U.S. for pilot training, which he completed with stops at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Ark. (College Training Detachment), San Antonio, Texas (Preflight), Chickasha, Oklahoma (Primary), and Sherman, Texas (Basic Pilot Training). He separated from the Air Corps in 1945 at the war's end. Shortly after entering the Air Corps, he married his childhood sweetheart, Lillian Isabel Bowlin, in January 1942. Her family was also from Charlotte, North Carolina, dating back to the time of the American Revolution. They remained married for 62 years until her death in 2004. They had two children, Robert (Butch) and Margaret (Maggie). They were all long time members of the Tabernacle Associate Reformed Presbyterian in Charlotte. After his return from military service, he resumed his career in the motion picture business with Republic Pictures and then with Columbia Pictures, rising to the Sales Manager position in the Charlotte branch. In 1963, he made the unlikely decision to change careers, taking a manufacturer's representative position with American of Martinsville, a premier furniture manufacturer, and moving his family to Atlanta, Georgia. Covering three states in their commercial (hotels and motels) division, he was very successful for several decades, providing furniture to hotels and motels throughout the southeast. He was particularly proud of furnishing the new Hyatt Regency hotel, the talk of Atlanta in the mid-60's. He retired in 1985 and continued to live in their DeKalb County home until his wife's death in 2004, whereupon he entered assisted living. In Atlanta, both he and his wife were members of Clairmont Presbyterian Church. Until his health stopped him, he was also an avid golfer and a very regular player and member of Rivermont Country Club. He was preceded in death by his parents, Malcolm Alexander Finlayson and Mattie Rich Finlayson, his twin brother, Oren Alexander Finlayson, and his four sisters, Viola F. Yandle, Monnie F. Hull, Myrtle F. Tant, and Mable F. Brown. He is survived by his son, Robert M. Finlayson II and his wife, Kimberly Grice Finlayson, and his daughter, Margaret Finlayson Bruno, and her husband, Richard M. Bruno, all of Atlanta. He is also survived by five grandchildren, five great grandchildren, and two great great grandchildren. A graveside service will be held on Sunday, April 21 at 2:00 PM at Elmwood Cemetery, 700 West 6th Street, Charlotte, North Carolina 28202. Arrangements in Charlotte are being handled by Hankins & Whittington Funeral Service, Dilworth Chapel, 1111 East Boulevard, Charlotte, North Carolina 28203. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Clairmont Presbyterian Church, 1994 Clairmont Road, Decatur, Georgia 30033.