John Picket Finklea

Garner.....................................John Picket Finklea, age 60, died Thursday, June 20, 2019. Memorial service will be held Sunday, June 23, at 3:30 pm at the Farmville Funeral Home Chapel by Dr. Rick Bailey. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service from 2:30 until 3:30 pm at the funeral home. John graduated from the North Carolina School of the Arts with a full scholarship and spent the next twenty years as a professional ballet dancer, with his career ending at the Dallas-Fort Worth Ballet Company. For the last thirty years of his life, he worked in the food services industry, became an avid marathon runner and world traveler, and dedicated himself to sponsoring and mentoring those battling addiction. John was a loving uncle to his four nieces, cherished his friends dearly, and considered his friends extended family. He is survived by his mother, Helen C. Finklea of Tarboro; sister, Kathryn Sauls and husband, Dixon of Farmville; brother, Chuck Finklea and wife, Cynthia of Wilson; nieces, Lindsay Lennon and husband, Chip, Robyn Barnhill and husband, Rob, Walker Finklea, and Hadlea Finklea; and his beloved cat, Punkin. He was preceded in death by his father, George Charles Finklea Sr. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to the North Carolina Summer Institute in Choral Arts (NCSICA), P.O. Box 1681, Lexington, NC 27293 which is a week long summer camp that fosters growth of music and dance for students in grades six through twelve. Online condolences may be made at www.farmvillefh.com.

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