Rev. Emmajane Finney Obituary Emmajane Steffen Finney died in Bethlehem, PA on Wednesday, May 8, 2024 at the age of 74. She was surrounded by loved ones at the time of her passing. Em was born April 22, 1950 in Akron, Ohio, the third of five children and the youngest daughter of Elkana 'Doc' Finney and Ruth 'Boo' (nee) Keller. She graduated from Smithville High School in 1968, then went on to major in English and Education at Heidelberg College in Tiffin, Ohio, class of 1972. In 1978, she received the M.Div. degree from Yale Divinity School and was awarded the William E. Downes Prize in public speaking. Although she received formal training in secondary education and faith-based community organizing, she was ordained in 1979 in the United Church of Christ and spent the majority of her career as a parish minister. Between 1972 and 1999 she served as a Christian Education director in Milford, CT, then held subsequent pastorates in Providence, RI, Northland College (campus minister), Madeline Island, WI, Duluth, MN, and Slatington, PA. Her preaching style was lively, imaginative, spontaneous, and charismatic; she was known to deliver thoughtful and poetic sermons with a clear, strong, and engaging voice. While living in Providence, RI, she met her husband, Lloyd Steffen. They were married on Valentines Day in 1981. Her first child, Nathan, was born in 1986 in Ashland, WI, followed by the birth of identical twin sons, Sam and Will, in 1988 while living in Duluth, MN. She and her family moved to Bethlehem, PA in 1990, where she has remained since. A ready volunteer blessed with organizational talents, she contributed time and effort to various activities and organizations, including Safe Start in Fountain Hill and Northwoods Women, a domestic abuse shelter in Ashland, WI. She worked several years with United Way of the Lehigh Valley, first as a "wrap-around" coordinator, then directing the community school project at Fountain Hill Elementary School, where she had also been President of the PTA. She was a certified instructor of Qigong. Em will be remembered as a caring, playful, determined, curious and creative spirit, a compassionate and forgiving person who seldom complained when there was cause to, who could always see the bright side of a situation and find something to be grateful for. She loved to laugh, sing and dance and was quick to remind those around her to find their sense of humor. She was a loving wife and mother, and a gentle and caring friend. She loved leading worship and writing liturgy; her preaching, like her life, was filled with thoughtfulness, movement, poetry, and song. She was a champion for the underserved and the overlooked, and she addressed social justice issues in every aspect of her life. She enjoyed writing, going for walks, playing Scrabble, working the New York Times Sunday crossword, journaling, rewriting song lyrics, collecting small rocks and seashells of curious shapes and textures, baking cookies, playing the piano, and 'yard-sailing.' She was a great listener, supported her husband and her children in their endeavors, decisions and careers, and was always engaged in her community. She was a planter of trees and flowers, a lover of children; she enjoyed quilting and welcomed any new adventure in travel. An amateur genealogist, she researched and authored The Keller 1937 Almanac, a family history written after compiling hours of oral history. Her talent for knowing just what to say or not to say to comfort the bereaved is one that is sorely missed now. She is predeceased by her parents, Ruth (Keller) and Elkana Finney, and is survived her husband, Lloyd Steffen; sons, Nathan L. Steffen of Bethlehem, Samuel A. Steffen and his wife Jimil Ataman of Boise, ID, William H. Steffen and his wife Anna-Claire Steffen of Holyoke, MA; and siblings Frederick Finney and his wife Marilyn of Moreland, OH, Virginia Beamish and her husband Michael of Troy, OH, Dr. Malcolm Finney and his wife Julie of Marshallville, OH, John Finney and spouse James Christie of Fort Myers, FL; and her treasured grandchildren, Calliope and Oscar. Service: Memorial Service 11:00AM Friday, May 24, 2024 at St. Johns United Church of Christ, 183 South Broad St., Nazareth. Family and friends may call from 10 to 11:00AM Friday, May 24, 2024 at the church. Arrangements are being handled by the Cantelmi Long Funeral Homes, Bethlehem. Contributions: Memorials in Emmajanes memory may be made to Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc., Attn: Online Services, P.O. Box 97166, Washington, DC 20090-7166, www.plannedparenthood.org. Services Calling Hour Friday May 24, 2024 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM St. John's United Church of Christ 183 S. Broad St. Nazareth, PA 18064 Memorial Service Friday May 24, 2024 11:00 AM St. John's United Church Of Christ 183 South Broad Street Nazareth, PA 18064