Norman Bliss Finlinson was born February 10, 1949, in Payson, Utah. He died June 11, 2026, in Santaquin, Utah.
He was born to Mary Maxine Bliss and Raymond R. Finlinson, their third child. They lived in Oak City, Utah until they moved to Covina, California. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother Wyatt.
Norm served an LDS mission in Buenos Aries, Argentina. He married Kathryn Fullmer on September 9th, 1971, in the Los Angeles temple. He attended BYU, earning a Bachelor’s in Spanish Studies, a Master’s in Public Administration, and earned a PhD in Educational Administration. Norm treasured his time working for both BYU and BYU-Hawaii. His love for BYU was passed on to his children and grandchildren. Norm and Kathy served a mission in Concepcion, Chile.
Norm served faithfully as Bishop and in other church leadership callings. He was a faithful example to those around him, and he loved Jesus Christ and His gospel.
He is survived by his wife, Kathy, and their six children, Wendy Talbot, Robyn Pentz, Tim Finlinson, Matt Finlinson, Holly Binks, and Mark Finlinson and their families, including 21 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. He also leaves behind his sister Dawn Niemann and brother Lloyd Finlinson.
He was a beloved husband, father, brother, and grandfather.
Visitation will take place at Walker Funeral Home located at 587 South 100 West, Payson, Utah on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30pm. There will be a graveside memorial at Oak City Cemetery at 10:30am on Wednesday June 17, 2026, located on South Main Street in Oak City, Utah.
2 Condolences for Norman Bliss Finlinson
Condolences(2)
Missy Mumford says
June 12, 2026 at 10:55 pmIt was an honor to work with Norm when he was Executive Director of Student Academic and Advisement Services (SAAS) at BYU. I appreciated his willingness to listen to all points of view when making decisions. I’m sure that’s never an easy position- to be in change of so much. And “[heavy] lies the head that wears the crown.” We had a shared interest of Public Administration, so he was a fantastic mentor. ‘Til we meet again, friend!
Craig & Kathy Hiatt says
June 24, 2026 at 8:12 pmWe were so sorry to hear of Norms passing. We were sorry we were away and couldn’t attend his service. We have fond memories of the Gospel Doctrine class he taught before you moved to Hawaii. He was a great teacher. We also enjoyed serving in the Temple with him