Finnottes co-owner, Frank Finn, passes away at 81

Frank Finn, co-owner of Finnottes Nut and Chocolate Shop, passed away unexpectedly Friday from his Onalaska home. He was 81.

Funeral services will be Thursday at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Holmen. Visitation begins at 10 a.m. with funeral mass at noon, followed by a luncheon.

Finn, and his wife Laurie, had been married since 1986 and run the downtown La Crosse shop for the past 37 years. Laurie, a frequent guest on WIZM’s La Crosse Talk.

Finnottes posted on its Facebook: “It is with a heavy heart that we share the news the Frank has passed away. Even though he wasn’t the face you saw at the store he was the other half of Finnottes. The store will be closed June 3-8 but we will check messages daily and try to accommodate any special requests. Please call and leave a message if necessary.”

If Finn wasn’t working — “packing his nuts” — and building relationships, he was on the golf course or in the kitchen, as he loved preparing huge meals.

Finn was one of seven children and his father’s premature death early in life led to his placement in orphanages, first in Dubuque, then Boystown, Neb., eventually St. Michael’s in La Crosse.

Finn was an Aquinas High School graduate, before getting his accounting degree in Madison.