NSU Awards Posthumous Degree to Psychology Student

She was supposed to be there. A black cap and gown covered with flowers, mementoes and honors cords hung over her seat during graduation. After many years of raising her children and part-time jobs, Christy Finley made the decision to go back to college and complete her degree. Just two weeks before graduation, Christy died in a fatal automobile accident on her usual route to Tahlequah.

Christy was not a typical college student. A 45 year-old wife and mother of three, she dedicated a large part of her life to raising and encouraging her three daughters, Jennifer, Danielle, and Jackie.

Mom always said she was on the two-year plan, Jennifer said. She got her drivers license in 1972, graduated from high school in '74, got married to Dad in '76, had me in '78, had Danielle in '80 and had Jackie in '82.

Christy devoted herself to the children. She wasn't the typical mom, said Danielle. She loved music and going to concerts.

Her three daughters giggled as they remember stories of Christy buying tickets to see the Backstreet Boys in concert and taking them to places like Las Vegas and Greensboro just to see their favorite bands in concert.

She could talk to anyone - and did, Jackie said. When we were on airplanes together, she would plop down next to someone and get to know them by the time we landed. She really loved people.

All our friends would always tell us that we had the coolest Mom, said Jennifer. Our friends would come over all the time and ask to talk to Mom about problems they couldn't talk to their own parents about. We thought they would be coming to see us, but sometimes they just wanted to talk to mom.

The daughters also explained that their home was usually a zoo. Christy loved animals as much as she loved people. She would continually bring home stray or abandoned animals. She would tell Dad that she was just helping the animals until she could find them a good home, said Danielle. But, she never did. We always ended up keeping them and naming them. Pretty soon Dad just knew that we would keep them.

As the girls grew, they became accustomed to their Mothers non-stop energy. Enthusiastic help with homework and school projects, ingenious ideas for cat toys, an imaginative carnival setting for a birthday party. She was so creative, said Jennifer. She could do anything.

After the girls were grown and out of the house, Christy made plans to attend college. Because of her love for helping people, she decided to major in Psychology.

Mom was one of those students who went above and beyond in the classroom, said Jennifer. She loved her classes and all of her classmates. She knew she was going after the right degree and couldn't wait to help as many people as she could.

The sisters shared many funny stories about their mothers homework. One particular assignment dealt with sleep deprivation. Christy developed a system of recording her own sleep patterns when faced with an altered sleeping schedule. She placed an a jar along with marbles next to her alarm clock on her bed-side table. She would set the alarm for fifteen minutes and try to go to sleep. Every time the alarm would go off, she would place a marble in the jar. In the morning, Christy was able to formulate exactly when she fell asleep.

She was always doing something like that, said Danielle. Mom was really into her major.

Christy, alongside daughter Jackie, a sophomore Elementary Education major at NSU, flourished as a student at Northeastern State University. With her goal of becoming a grief counselor and a counselor to teen-agers, Christy excelled at every turn.

I understand her papers were top-notch, said Dr. Carolyn Hawley, NSU Department of Psychology and Counseling. Some of her papers are being used as examples to future students. All of her professors say that she was an excellent student.
One of Christys projects concerning behavior management, was presented at the fall 2001 Research Day held in Edmond, Oklahoma. The same project has been entered in the ABA conference in Toronto for spring 2002, and with some changes, will be co-authored by Dr. Brian Cowly, as former professor at NSU. Dr. Cowley has expressed an interest in publishing this project as well.

Christy was a member of Psi Chi, the honor society for psychology, and graduated Magna Cum Laude.

Her future plans included obtaining a master's degree in Counseling Psychology at NSUBA. Christy would have attended some classes with daughter Jennifer who will be attending NSUBA in the fall to work toward her master's degree.
In a formal letter sent in with her application for graduate studies, Christy wrote, After completing a graduate program, I would like to counsel families, specifically with teen problems, counseling people who are dealing with dying, and counseling general family problems.

On November 28, slick road conditions caused Christy to lose control of her vehicle near Locust Grove. Her car was hit by an oncoming vehicle. Christys daughters knew what to do.

After Grandma passed away, Mom used to talk to us about what she wanted if she died, said Jennifer. She wanted everybody to get together, but she didn't want anyone to be sad.

She wanted us to celebrate her life, said Jackie. We made a huge posterboard with our favorite pictures of Mom for the wake. The wake, held at the family home, was attended by hundreds of people.

There were so many people there we didn't know, said Danielle. Mom just had an effect on people. She met a lot of people and everyone liked her.

On December 15, NSU granted a bachelors degree in Psychology to Christy Finley. Her daughters were there to accept.

Were so proud of Mom, said Jackie. This is what she always wanted.

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Born in Edmond, Finley was a 1974 graduate of Webster High School. She was a former substitute teacher for Tulsa Public Schools. She is survived by her husband, Daniel Finley; her children Jennifer Self of Eufaula, Danielle Ward of, Biloxi, Miss., and Jackie Finley of Tulsa; her father, Denis Lassek of Fort Pierce, Fla.; her twin sister, Cathy Hutchison of Portland, Ore; two other sisters, P.J. Lassek of Tulsa, and Linda Eaton of Boca Raton, Fla.; and her maternal grandmother, Lillie Borrell of Cleveland, Okla.

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12/20/01

Published: 2001-12-20 00:00:00