Royce A. Finne

On March 12, 2024, with his wife Sue at his side, Royce A. Finne passed away at home. Royce’s passing marks the end of his extraordinarily courageous battle with a rare and aggressive sinus cancer.

Royce was born on September 21, 1950, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where Royce’s love of baseball began. Royce’s fondest memories included cheering on the Braves, and later the Brewers, with his father.

After a brief, but memorable, stint at the University of Miami, Royce graduated from UW-Milwaukee and continued on to law school at UW-Madison. After earning his law degree, he spent eleven years with the Brown County District Attorney's office. In that time, thousands of crime victims found comfort in Royce’s compassion and were served by his determination to do the right thing. Royce later established his own practice, first as a jack-of-all-trades, then specializing in criminal defense work and family law. His dedication to victim advocacy continued throughout his career, representing the most vulnerable children in Brown County as their guardian ad litem. Royce found an amazing team member in his career-long paralegal, Linda Muchow. While Royce’s conscientious work ethic and gripping closing arguments shaped him into a well-respected, sought-after attorney, his integrity came first. Leading by example, Royce upheld the call for dignity in every situation.

Royce and Sue were married on January 3, 1987. Together, they spent 37 years raising their four kids, traveling the world, and rooting for their favorite teams. Their most cherished time, however, will always be their time spent together as grandparents.

When asked by Sue in his final days to describe his life, Royce simply said, “I always tried to do the right thing.” In fact, Royce’s expectations of his loved ones were profound and simple. He asked only two things. #1, Do the right thing. #2, Loathe the Chicago Cubs. Those who knew Royce know he led by example with both.

Royce was happiest when he and Sue were surrounded by water and sunshine. A student of his Uncle Nick, Royce was introduced to sailing as a teenager. He spent the next fifty years captaining his own sailboats and chartering boats in the British Virgin Islands, eventually retiring his sea legs to enjoy his winters on the shores of St. Maarten and Gulf Shores. Royce was an avid reader, sports fan, and traveler. He loved trivia and valued life experiences as much he did learning. In many ways, Royce was a man of solitude. And while his solitary nature made him a man of few words, his quiet influence has inspired his children and grandchildren to become teachers, coaches, pilots, caregivers, protectors, adventurers, and lifelong learners.

Royce was preceded in death by his parents, Arthur and Dorothy Finne; his mother-in-law, Carol Vanderwyst; his sister-in-law, Mary Johnson; and his beloved friend and co-captain, Bob Langan. He is survived by his wife, Sue Bischel; four children, Alison (Todd) Prochaska, Jordan (Katie) Bischel, Dana Finne, and Kaye (Scott) Nemec; and grandchildren Logan, Bailey, Wyatt, Kaylee, Brayden, Lyla, Luke, Parker Royce, and Chase. Royce is also survived by siblings Mark (Chris) Finne and Lori (Bruce) Baldwin; sisters-in-law Kay Dehn and Amy (Dave) Powers; brother-in-law Rick (Mary Kim) VanderWyst; as well as nieces and nephews, his "baseball buddies," and dear friends and neighbors.

It is humbling to try counting the number of people who enriched Royce’s life. In Royce’s final year, he focused on spending more time with Sue, family, and friends while courageously battling cancer. He abandoned all hopes of seeing the Brewers win the World Series and turned to another dream team in Milwaukee - his care team at Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin, whose expertise and compassion are indescribable. Special thanks to Dr. Stuart Wong and Dr. Selim Firat for their unbelievable medical knowledge and obvious empathy for the physical and emotional toll of the treatment Royce chose to pursue. Heartfelt gratitude to Froedtert Pharmacist Chad Seubert and his team for their care and comfort to both Royce and Sue. Finally, sincere appreciation to Dr. Dan Lemkuil and Unity Hospice for their careful work to ensure comfort and peace in Royce’s final days.

Visitation will be on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, at St. Matthew Catholic Church, 130 St. Matthew St., Green Bay from 9:00am to 10:45am. A memorial service will be held at 11:00am with Father Bob Kabat officiating. The service will be livestreamed at: https://www.youtube.com/@saintmatthew426/streams 

Cotter Funeral and Cremation Care is assisting the family with arrangements.

In lieu of flowers, Royce and Sue respectfully request a donation in Royce's name to Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Brown County, an organization for which they shared a passion.