mardi, janvier 22, 2008

Obituaries : Yvette Yolande Finder

Yvette Yolande Finder
Born in Lapalisse, France on Sep. 10, 1928
Died Aug. 12, 2007 and resided in Boerne, TX.



Yvette Finder, former longterm John Jay High School teacher, died Sunday morning at Methodist Hospital as a result of complications due to her ongoing battle with lung cancer. She was 78 years old at her death.

Yvette was born Yvette Yolande Mazzia, on September 10th, 1928 in Lapalisse, a small village found in the center of France, near Vichy. She spent her teenage years growing up under the infamous Vichy government of World War II.

In 1952, she married Rudolf Finder, a German holocaust survivor, who had recently joined the American Air Force. And in 1962, she and Rudy moved to San Antonio with their two young sons. Barely speaking English, she enrolled in Incarnate Word College, where in 1965 she earned her Bachelor’s degree. In the same year she was also naturalized as an American citizen. She later earned her master’s degree from Our Lady of the Lake University.

Yvette was one of the original teachers at John Jay High School where she remained until her retirement in 1993. Originally teaching only French, she later switched to world history, a subject she always loved dearly. Even upon her retirement from teaching high school, she continued to teach at San Antonio College.

Yvette was active in a number of organizations, to include L’Alliance Française of San Antonio, where she served as a past president.

Yvette is survived by her two sons. Steven Finder, MD and his wife Kimberly live in San Antonio. Phillip Finder, his wife Lisa, and her two grandchildren, Christopher and Allison, live in Austin. She is also survived by her younger brother, Jean Guy Mazzia, who lives with his family in Toulouse, France.

Her remains will be cremated and her ashes will be buried in the cemetery at Lapalisse later next year.