Hopkinton, NH – Alden Johnson Finney, 87, of Seattle, formerly of Hopkinton and Concord, passed away peacefully on August 6, 2026. A devoted mother and grandmother, she was herself to the end: in her last week she walked a few miles, shared wine with family, enjoyed the ocean view and passing bald eagles, and debated the cracks in the big bang theory with a grandson.
Born September 24, 1938, in Mt. Kisco, N.Y., to Abigail Lee and Bascom Johnson, MD, MPH, she and her sister Lee moved often growing up due to her father’s career with the VA. Alden attended more than 10 schools before graduating from the Punahou School in Honolulu. After studying physics and astronomy at Smith College (Class of 1960), she worked at the U.S. Naval Observatory as a “computer” on early NASA space missions.
In 1972 she moved with her three children to Hopkinton. She worked as a data analyst for the N.H. Department of Health and Human Services and her life as a single mom centered on raising and educating her three kids. She was also active in the First Congregational Church community. In 1993 she married William “Bill” Finney. They lived on Great Diamond Island, Maine, and later at Havenwood in Concord. Rational, direct, and consistently curious, she estimated that she read more than 5,000 science fiction novels and logged a similar number of miles on her daily walks.
She was predeceased by her parents; her husband Bill; and her stepson Doug Finney. She is survived by her children, Abby Pickens (Andrew), Cilla Scofield (Jeffrey) and Tom Rodgers (Kari); grandchildren Theo, Lexi, Andrew, Sam, Zach, Bennett and Kate; stepsons Peter (Sonja) and Matthew (Liz) Finney; daughter-in-law Angie Finney; nine step-grandchildren Kyle, Ben, Amanda, Ryan, Margaret, Cole, Nathan, Molly and Owen; and her sister, Lee Miller (Jim), her niece Jennifer and nephew Jeffrey.
A memorial service will be held at the First Congregational Church in Hopkinton at 10:30 am on June 19 2027. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Appalachian Mountain Club
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