Liane (Dagi) Dagnija Kaugerts Finch

 Obituary for Liane Dagnija Kaugerts Finch

L.D.K. Finch, 88, a Fox Island resident since 1977, died February 22, 2024, at her beloved beach home. Dagi, as she preferred to be called, was kindness embodied, had a good sense of humor, was a treasure-trove of interesting stories, and could be frustratingly stubborn. Her family loved all these things about her and learned many lessons in patience and when to let it be. A self-described “computer illiterate,” she kept copious notes - from phone conversations to her meticulously kept accounting ledgers.

Dagi was born March 7, 1935, in Riga, Latvia. In 1941 the family had to make a choice – wait for the Russians to invade or move to Germany, already experiencing the devastation of WWII. She was loaded up with jewelry, including earrings in her newly pierced ears, donned extra layers of clothing since no one would search a child of six, and they immigrated to Germany. Her father, who had had training as a bookkeeper in Latvia for the family’s lumber business, worked as a bar tender because of his fluency in several languages. They lived in relocation camps in several areas during their time there. She recalled feeling the heat on her back from the fires as they escaped the bombing of Dresden. The family immigrated to the U.S. in 1949. Dagi was responsible for procuring the first family meal in America and at the age of 14, the selection of Wonderbread and sour cream tasted better than anything she could have imagined! As a teenager wanting to fit in, Dagi added to her lessons in English by watching movies and television. Her accent was “Atlantic” English versus strictly Latvian or German. She graduated from Pompton Lakes High School in 1954. She worked various jobs in New York City, including assisting a rabbi’s family during their sabbath days, and eventually on the TB ward at the New Jersey State [Psychiatric] Hospital at Greystone Park.

Dagi met John Finch while both were studying at Drew University – she for her bachelor’s degree, he for his doctorate, each in Psychology. They married on Easter Sunday in 1958 and moved to Tacoma, WA. She became John’s bookkeeper for his private clinical psychology practice, and was often found at her desk, working on the books, tallying up ledger columns sotto voce in German. Dagi was very fond of big dogs and for her 23rd birthday, was presented with Alex – a purebred shorthaired St. Bernard. He was the first of many big dogs of various breeds.

Dagi loved her family and expressed that in numerous ways –sending birthday cards, drawing cartoon faces on her daughters’ brown paper lunch bags, mailing clipped newspaper articles that she thought would be “of interest” and, in her mid-60s, driving to Seattle three days a week to babysit her grandchildren. She was in her element taking them for long walks in Lincoln Park, rain or shine.

Dagi’s travels in the late 1960s and 1970s included trips to Australia, the Far East, India, Africa, and Europe. In the 1990s she returned to Latvia accompanied by her brother, Juris. In 2004, she spent Christmas with family who were winter caretakers at the former governor’s compound on Lake Clark in Alaska. She was delighted she got to sleep in the governor’s own bed! In 2016, she accompanied the family to Italy for a Finch reunion. The day trip to a cheese farm was a highlight. Last year, for her 88th

birthday, her daughter accompanied her to New Hampshire to visit her brother, Juris. He crooned the birthday song to her as she rolled her eyes. She was embarrassed by too much attention and preferred to blend into the background at most gatherings, but fully absorbed the experiences.

“Zwischen achtzig und dem Tod” was a German saying in her family translated to “between 80 and Death.” In her later years she expressed her wishes of not wanting to leave her house for any sort of other living arrangement unless it was “feet first.” Dagi got her wish.

Family members include her daughters, Jillian Kane (Steve,) Indra Finch (Bruce Gage,) grandchildren Alex and Suzanna (“Zuzu,”) and stepdaughter, Jennifer Lewis (Al Meymarian,) stepson John Finch II (Cindy,) and step-grandchildren Maeling (“Ting”) Rutkowski (Keith,) and John Finch III (Heather), Trevor Lyvers-Hill (Marah,) as well as step-great-grandchildren Cody Rutkowski (Sierra,) Madeline Finch, Carli Rutkowski, and Hank Finch. She is also survived by her nephews Eric and Peter Kaugerts and niece, Elizabeth Kaugerts, as well as Elizabeth’s children Jacob and Emily. In addition, she is survived by her dear “adopted” daughter, Avhasei Marole (along with her daughter Kavuli Nyali and grandchildren Funanani and Genesis Nyali,) and Indra’s stepchildren, Alex Gage (Inessa,) and Lauren Gage (Chris Schultz.) She was preceded in death by her parents, Bruno and Benita Kaugerts; her brother, Juris Kaugerts and his wife, Diana Perkett; and son-in-law Bruce Gage.

In lieu of flowers, kindly consider a donation to one of her many preferred charities: Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Community (for their retirement home project in Dumaguete, Philippines) https://osvhub.com/holyrosaryseattle/giving/funds/carmelite-sisters-of-our-lady or the Gig Harbor Peninsula Food Bank https://www.ghpfish.org/.

She will be inurned during a small ceremony this summer at Haven of Rest Cemetery in Gig Harbor, WA.

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