POCATELLO — Richard “Dick” Finlayson, the first full-time mayor of the Gate City, died last week at the age of 87.

Born in Pocatello on March 2, 1934, Finlayson graduated from Pocatello High School in 1952 and from Washington State College in Pullman, Washington, in 1957, according to his obituary.

A year before he graduated college, Finlayson married his wife, Ann Van Atta, of Blackfoot, who also attended WSC. The couple would go on to raise four children. At the time of his passing on July 2, Finlayson had 19 grandchildren and 27 great-grandchildren.

Before becoming involved in municipal government, Finlayson was the owner and a contractor for Finlayson Construction and Borah Construction.

“I knew Richard and his wife Ann on a personal basis.,” said former Pocatello City Councilman and local Realtor Jim Johnston. “They were both great citizens of our community. I watched Richard (Finlayson) become very, very successful as a local contractor.”

According to his obituary, Finlayson — an avid skier — also scratched an itch when he leased and ran the Caribou Ski Area for two years.

It was after Finlayson retired that he became Pocatello’s first full-time mayor, serving from 1986-1990. Prior to Finlayson becoming the first full-time mayor, Pocatello had operated with a city manager, who was more of a paid executive than an elected official.

“When he got involved in city government, I thought it was an outstanding move because he had so much business sense,” said Johnston, who described Finlayson as a peacemaker, a consensus-builder and someone who was open to suggestions and was not opposed to a good discussion on an issue to come up to a compromise. ”He contributed to the city becoming more business friendly and was responsible for instilling good business judgement so that the city could start to progress instead of staying just stagnant.”

Christina “Tina” Lomaquahu, one of Finlayson’s daughters, said that at the same time her father was mayor, her mother was the chair of the Pocatello-Chubbuck School District Board of Trustees.

“Both were really invested in the community and wanted to make things better,” Lomaquahu said. “He was very interested in the beautification of the city. He helped bring to fruition the planters that go along Pocatello Creek Road, he led the landscaping efforts around the on and off ramps of Interstate 15 and he helped in ensuring the Brady Chapel at the Mountain View Cemetery was refurbished.

Lomaquahu echoed Johnston’s sentiments about her father’s strengths in business, noting he had obtained a master’s in business from Harvard University.

In addition to laying the groundwork to streamline the workflows of the city government, Finlayson played a pivotal role in reviving a 1920s moniker that dubbed the Gate City as the “Smile Capital of the World.”

“He truly wanted Pocatello to be a great place for people to work, live, and raise their families,” Lomaquahu said.

Funeral services for Finlayson are scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stake center at 2300 Butte St. in Pocatello. The family will receive friends for a viewing prior to the services beginning at 10 a.m. Interment will follow services at the Mountain View Cemetery. Arrangements are under the direction of Wilks Funeral Home and condolences may be shared with the family online at wilksfuneralhome.com.

“We have lost a great citizen in the passing of Dick Finlayson,” Johnston said. “He was a dedicated mayor, committed to the greatness of our community and he worked tirelessly to elevate our community. With him becoming mayor, we went through a rite of passage. We went from a town run by professionals to a town operated by elected officials.”