Mr. Donald E. Phinney

August 19, 1927 - December 1, 2018

Mr. Donald Edward Phinney of Savoy died December 1st at home after a long struggle with dementia. He was ninety-one years old. Born in Nova Scotia, Canada, on August 19. 1927, he came to the US when he was five years old with his twin sister Mary, his two older brothers , John and Gerald, sister Margaret, and parents, Reagh and Gertrude Reddy Phinney . The family settled in Brighton, Massachusetts and most of his growing up was spent there. He was educated in the Boston area from grammar school through university and worked for the Employers’ Group Insurance Company in the early 1950s, where he met his wife, Jane. They were married in 1954, and resided in Boston until 1958, when he transferred to New Jersey with the Boston Insurance Company. He worked in New York City until he joined M.L.Cutler & Company of Madison, NJ, as a marketing representative and became Vice-President of that division in the 1970s. During their working years, the Phinneys traveled to many places around the world. In 1982, they purchased their home in Savoy, Massachusetts as a vacation house which they enjoyed for many years. On his retirement in 1990, they moved full-time to Savoy and the Berkshires. The move was one they never regretted as involvement in the community gave them a great deal of pleasure. Don served on a number of Savoy Town Boards; Planning Board, Park Commission, and over seven years as a Selectman. He was an avid gardener. A great tennis player, winning medals in both New Jersey and Mexico. Loved golf and billiards. A jazz enthusiast. His Basset Hounds were the pride of his life. His cat, Mop, his joy. He was the last surviving member of his immediate family. He leaves his wife, Jane, and Pete, a neighbor’s dog and his constant companion, and also his many friends and neighbors. Per his request, there will be no service and burial will be private.