Obituary: James “Jim” Dodd Finch

January 28, 1954 – March 25, 2026

James “Jim” Dodd Finch of Excelsior, formerly of Basalt, Colorado, passed away at the Waters of Excelsior on March 25, 2026. He was 72 years old. Following a stroke in 2022, Jim relocated from Colorado to Minnesota to be near the loving care of his family.

Jim was born in Minneapolis, MN on January 28, 1954, the son of the late Harold “Shorty” B. Finch and Catherine “Baba” Cole Finch. He graduated from Blake School in 1972 and Principia College in Illinois in 1976.

One month after college graduation, Jim suffered a tragic accident while trimming trees for his grandfather. The result was amputation of both legs mid-thigh. He was confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

Jim had always been a gifted athlete, and his goal was to rebuild his life with a core emphasis on sports. He tackled it with great determination, courage, and his usual sense of humor. In the late ’70s, he started playing wheelchair basketball for the Rolling Gophers. He also started running marathons. He competed in the Twin Cities, Grandma’s, Boston (twice), and Chicago Marathons. Remarkably, Jim qualified in both track and swimming for the U.S.A. Disabled Olympic team and the 1980 Paralympics in the Netherlands. There he won four Olympic medals: two gold medals in track (400-meter relay and 1600-meter relay), one bronze medal in track (individual 400 meter) and one silver medal in swimming (100-meter breaststroke). In the mid-80s, Jim competed in the National Foundation of Wheelchair Tennis tournaments and was in the top ten of Open Division players. Jim was a formidable doubles player and played with both able-bodied and disabled players equally well.

While Jim was engaging in his numerous sports activities, he was also attending Indiana University’s business school and received his MBA in 1981. Following his graduation, he held a series of positions: commercial banker, Finance Director for the Sydness for U.S. Senate Committee from North Dakota and as a business consultant. In 1990, he obtained his private pilot license and subsequently purchased a Piper Cherokee 180 which he flew for both business and pleasure. Being able to fly his own plane meant the world to Jim and he would recount it as one of his most meaningful accomplishments as it gave him a new level of freedom.

In the early ’90s, Jim took up Alpine skiing. While on a ski vacation in Aspen with his family in 1995, he learned about Challenge Aspen, a new nonprofit organization dedicated to teaching disabled people to ski and enjoy outdoor activities. Jim returned to North Dakota, closed his consulting business and moved to Basalt, CO. There he immersed himself fully in the community and sport of skiing. He was elected President of the Board of Challenge Aspen in 1996 and became a certified ski instructor.

In 1998, he qualified for the U.S. Disabled Olympic team for the winter Paralympics in Nagano, Japan. Although he did not medal in any of his four ski events, Jim was celebrated. As the oldest member of the men’s US Ski Team, Jim was featured in a telecast by ABC Sports with Bob Beattie for his life’s accomplishments overcoming his disability. In 2002, he became involved in sled hockey and ultimately was a member of the U.S. Sled Hockey Team, which won a silver medal in 2004 at the World Championship in Sweden.

Jim was a wonderful person, and despite his many accomplishments, he remained a humble and kind person. He had many great friends and was widely known and beloved. His distinct, slow rolling laugh was unique, and he inspired countless numbers of people in his life. He was a loving person, who was always interested in what people were doing. He was a kid at heart. His nieces and nephews grew up with him playing endless games indoors and outside, and always surrounded by his great laugh and smile. Jim was a devout Christian Scientist throughout his life. He will be greatly missed by his friends and family.

He is survived by his siblings, Mark Finch of Excelsior, MN, Sarah Goullaud of Maple Plain, MN, and David Finch (Elizabeth) of Afton, MN; his nieces, Nicole DeWitt, Haley Finch, and Emma Finch; and his nephews, David Goullaud, Lee Goullaud, and Harold Finch. He is also survived by family members who live or grew up in Roaring Fork Valley, including his uncle, Charlie Cole; his cousins, Chuck Cole (Ellen), Lisa Chiles, Lindsay Gorman (Tom), and Gretchen Cole; his nephews, Matthew Cole, Austin Corona, and Stuart Corona; and his nieces, Kenzie Cole, Hannah Cole, Cat Corona, Emma Chiles and Sarah Chiles. Jim was proceeded in death by his sister Martha A. Finch. The family will always be appreciative of the loving care Jim received from his doctors, nurses, the Waters staff and the amazing caregivers through the toughest part of his life here in Minnesota. A small, private celebration of life service will be held later this summer.