Standardbred horse racing participant Sharon Joan Finn, age 54, of Newton, Ill., passed away at 11:47 a.m. on Friday (July 1) at her residence.

Funeral services will be at 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday (July 6) at the Barkley Funeral Chapel in Greenup. Visitation will be from 10:00 a.m. to service time on Wednesday at the funeral chapel with burial in the Aten Cemetery in Hidalgo.

Sharon was born on December 23, 1961 in Louisville, Ky, to Jack and Barbara (Dooley) Buckler. She married Fred Finn Jr. on December 31, 1998. Although she was a CNA for a decade, Sharon and her husband, who survives her, owned, bred and raced many Standardbred horses during their time together. In fact, Finn Jr. descends from a prolific harness racing lineage that is a bastion of the sport in the midwest and gained national renown as one of the pilots of the great Anniecrombie. He also captured consecutive editions of the American-National Stakes holding the lines guiding Ouchy (1988) and Kings Hope (1989) whose triumphs contributed to the nearly $9.8 million he earned in the sulky.

Despite their regular presence on the presences of pari-mutuel facilities primarily located in Ill. and Ind., the couple was a mainstay on the fair circuit in their state of residence where Sharon relished her time with the horses and doting on her grandchildren.

She is survived by: her mother and stepfather Barbara and Eddie Lewellyn of Salem, Ind.; children Larry Finn of Chicago, Freddie (Donna) Finn of Newton, Stephanie Berry of Henderson, Ky., Ryan Musgrave of Fairfield, Selina (Matt) Harris of Willow Hill and Rachel Finn (Justin Shepherd) of Newton; grandchildren Jazmin Arnold, Zak Finn, Aliyah Finn, Landon Berry, Alyse Rollings, Blake Harris, Braxtyn Harris, Aria Harris, Chase Shepherd and one granddaughter due in August. She is also survived by: brothers Larry and George Buckler; sisters Carol Marie Williams and Donna Sue Hebner, her twin sister that is a minute older, Karen Drake, and Laura Jo Sizemore.

Online condolences can be expressed at barkleyfuneralchapels.com.

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Sharon Finn.

(USTA)