Dr. Harold H. Finkel, a pediatrician and pioneer in providing health services to the poor, died unexpectedly Wednesday, February 28, 2007 at Reading Hospital. He was 83.

For more than a half century, Dr. Finkel served children and parents of Lancaster County from offices in Ephrata and Lancaster.

Over his career, he served as both president of the medical staff at Lancaster Osteopathic Hospital and chairman of its pediatrics department.

In 1989, the American College of Osteopathic Pediatricians named him Member of the Year.

Finkel, a Philadelphia native, began his career here in 1948, after graduating from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.  He also held degrees from Franklin & Marshall College and the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy & Science.

Finkel, the son of Joseph and Bessie Finkel, wanted to become a doctor from his earliest years. He credited his interest in osteopathic medicine to Dr. George Wolf, a Lancaster osteopath who helped him recover from a knee injury suffered on the tennis courts at F&M. 

Early in his career, in 1953, Dr. Finkel opened a pediatric clinic at Lancaster Osteopathic Hospital where parents could obtain medical care of their children for as little as 25 cents. Because the clinic offered treatment for those without insurance, many Amish families also sought care for children there. 

Even after his retirement from full-time practice in 1993, Finkel continued to work at the clinic, providing free medical for children of families in need.   

In his professional life, Finkel served many years on the board of Lancaster Osteopathic Hospital. He was elected president of the American College of Osteopathic Pediatricians in 1960.  From 1978 until his retirement, he was an associate clinical professor of pediatrics at the Philadelphia and West Virginia Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine. 

In the Lancaster community, Finkel served as a director on the boards of United Way, Family Service, the Lancaster-Lebanon Council of the Boy Scouts of America, and the county chapter of the National Council for Prevention of Child Abuse. 

Finkel was member of Temple Beth El, where he served as a board member for 36 years, some as president. In 1976, the Temple named him Man of the Year and in 2000 he was honored as Congregant of the Year. 

For the past 59 years, Finkel was married to Ruth Feldman Finkel, who survives him.  They have four children: Martin, a professor of pediatrics in Cherry Hill, NJ; Steven, vice president of Reading Hospital; Lois, a teacher, of Richmond, VA; and Lawrence, a radiologist in Paradise Valley, AZ; as well as 11 grandchildren and two-great-grandchildren. He is also survived by a brother, E. Jay Finkel, of Washington, D.C.

Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend the funeral service from Temple Beth El, 1836 Rohrerstown Road, Lancaster, PA on Friday at 11 a.m.. The family will receive relatives and friends at the Temple  from 10 to 11 a.m. Interment in Temple Beth El Cemetery. Shiva will be held on March 6 & 7 at 6:30 p.m. at Highland at Wyomissing Retirement Center, 2000 Cambridge Ave., Wyomissing (please use main entrance)

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the H.H. Finkel D.O. Nursing Fellowship, Lancaster Osteopathic Health Foundation, 128 E. Grant St., Suite 104,  Lancaster 17602  or to Temple Beth El.