Douglas Garth Finley

Douglas G. Finley (1980 – 2025)

Doug Finley was born in Sacramento on July 12, 1980, and died suddenly and unexpectedly on April 9, 2025.

Doug was a character right from the start. With a sparkle in his eyes, he made his family laugh even when he wasn’t trying, just by being his funny, sweet self. He added the perfect amount of fun and chaos to the Finley household.

As the youngest Finley by several years, Doug was kept busy by his older siblings, Karen and Andrew. His mother, Kendra, was very involved at the older kids’ elementary school, Alice Birney, and often had Doug in tow starting when he was an infant. So he felt like he owned the place by the time he entered kindergarten. His siblings played with him, read him stories, sometimes straightened out his occasional bad behavior, and generally helped keep him occupied.

In his early childhood and as he grew up, Doug made lifelong friendships—in the neighborhood and at Sam Brannan Middle and John F. Kennedy HIgh schools. He was on the Stingrays swim team and the Kennedy waterpolo team, and he played saxophone in school bands. He was a Pack 403 Cub Scout with his dad, Wayne, as the Pack leader. And he had a great time in Boy Scouts Troop 1, especially at Camp Cody each summer. There, by all accounts, he was a hit during skits at the evening campfire gatherings, including one where he acted out being a thumb.

Doug was exposed to all types of music by his dad and Andrew. In high school, he gave up the sax as he got more interested in alternative forms of music. He was a prolific writer of poetry and started writing song lyrics.

After high school, Doug coached waterpolo and attended community college for a few semesters, but ultimately decided he’d rather get a job. In his early 20s, he started work with what is now called Encompass Managed Print Services, where he began as a service and repair technician. He remained with the company for more than 20 years, most recently serving as the general manager.

During those young adult years, Doug’s love of basketball led him to become a Sacramento Kings season ticket holder and form—with Andrew and friends—his own recreational team called Wayne’s Guys, named for his dad, who reliably attended their games and looked out for “his guys.”

Some of the friends Doug made along the way became musical partners for life.He taught himself to beatbox, sing, play guitar, and mix electronic music. He was a founding member of several local bands, including Aesthetic, Metal Falcon, and Maxxx. He recently recorded a solo album, Maximalist.

Music may have been a passion for Doug, but the love of his life was his partner, Mindy. Together for 15 years, the two of them loved dancing and cracking each other up. They traveled around the western states and enjoyed vacation trips to Costa Rica, Iceland and Spain. Mendocino, where they enjoyed spending time with Mindy’s family, was a favorite destination. Together, they raised a family of dogs and chickens at their home in Tahoe Park.

To know Doug was to love him. Once you became part of his circle, you were one of his people. He stayed loyal to friends from his childhood and youth, and gathered many other fans, friends, and confidants along the way. One of his closest friends recently said that Doug was Doug, always true to himself. His absence will be deeply felt by not only his and Mindy’s families, but by his many second families throughout Sacramento.

Doug was preceded in death by his father, Wayne. On the Finley side, he is survived by his mother, Kendra Finley; sister, and brother-in-law, Karen and David Doron; and brother, sister-in-law, and nephew, Andrew, Leilani, and Kai Finley. On the Sage side, he is survived by his partner, Mindy Sage; her parents, Fred and Cindy Sage; and her sister, Megan Sage, Megan’s partner, Dave Hollis, and their son, Heston Sage. Doug will be dearly missed by everyone in the Finley, Perry, Sage, and Koerner families.

A Celebration of Life is planned for May 17. Details will be shared with family and friends.