Randy A. Finley

Long Beach Peninsula resident and Seattle cultural pioneer Randy Finley died on Sunday, September 7, in Ilwaco, after a brief hospital stay. He was 83.

Born Robert Andrew Finley, in Seattle, he is best known as owner/operator of Seven Gables Theaters from 1970 through 1986. He turned a single small theater into a 16 theater chain throughout the Northwest, known for making big bets on arthouse films like Harold & Maude. In 1987, Finley fought and won a high-profile anti-trust lawsuit over film rights, but it signaled his exit from the film industry. In 1990, Finley began a second act as proprietor of Mount Baker Vineyards, in Whatcom County. There, too, the love of mythmaking and spectacle that served him so well in show business did him in good stead, this time as a promoter of Washington’s independent winemakers and vineyards.

Finley was as well known for how he lived as for his works. A showman, sure, but also a father of two sons who loved basketball, whom he loved, and whom he wanted to have a full understanding of cultural diversity and responsibility. That is in part why he joined with parents from Seattle’s Central District to combine his sons’ mostly white team with theirs, forming an interracial team during a time of heightened racial injustice. One of the other players on that team, Doug Merlino, went on to become a journalist. His first book, “The Hustle”, documents that moment in Seattle and Finley’s role in it.

Finley collected these stories to share them. He loved telling stories - to moviegoers, to the Seattle Times, to his family, to visitors to his vineyard. He credited his parents for this. His father, Robert Corpening Finley, served on the State Supreme Court for more than 25 years, as well as having had a jazz band during the Great Depression. His mother, Werdna Karen Finley, was a noted advocate for children’s theater and drama programs.

Randy’s first marriage dissolved in the 1990s. After a period, he reconnected with his college sweetheart, Patricia Clark-Finley, who had once declined to go to Mexico with him. This time, she agreed to return to Washington, instead, and they married in the foothills of Mount Baker, in 1999. Patricia, an artist, put a face to the winery with graphics and art labels for its wines.

In 2018, Finley and Clark-Finley sold Mount Baker Vineyards, retiring to the Long Beach Peninsula, where they had lived part-time since 2005. They spent 26 years sharing laughter, business, and watching their respective children navigate their own lives.

Finley is preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his devoted wife, Patricia Clark-Finley, sisters Pat Finley and Mary Ellen (Sparkle) Finley; his sons, Robert and Maitland Finley; stepsons Arthur Hampton and Nick Judd; stepdaughter Genevieve Inman; and four stepgrandchildren: Ashley, Bruce and Hannah Inman, and Derin Judd.

People wanting to honor Randy’s memory could share a great film and, if they like, a good bottle of wine with close friends.