Theodore “Ted” Saul Fink, of Chestnut Hill, an artist, writer and businessman who joyfully led tours of Philadelphia, a city he loved, died at home Sept. 11 of kidney disease. He was 87.
Born to John and Esther Fink in the Parkside section of West Philadelphia, Ted often reminisced fondly about the neighborhood where he could be found playing ball in the street, singing on the corner or listening to a game on the radio.
“His writing has been a savior for him during his illness,” his wife, Ruth Fink, told the Local last week. “As his physical body failed him, his mind stayed strong and alert.”
Fink’s family moved to West Oak Lane when he was 12. He went to Wagner Junior High School, Germantown High School, Temple University and Miami University. He earned a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and a master’s degree in educational administration.
Fink taught for 10 years as a sixth grade teacher at Pastorius Elementary School in the 1960s. His deepest passion, however, was always artistic pursuits. Ted started writing poetry when he was 5, stories when he was 12 and music when he was 18.
According to his wife, “Ted spent many early summers singing on the boardwalk and waiting tables at high-end restaurants in Atlantic City during its halcyon days in the 1950s. He joined the restaurant workers union and became the manager of the famous University City restaurant La Terrasse during its most memorable years in the early to mid-1970s, where he brought in great local musicians.”
As an intrepid entrepreneur, in 1977, Fink became co-owner of Superior Fish Company, the largest exporter of Anguilla Rostrata (the American eel), shipping millions of pounds to Europe and Japan. Traveling up and down the Atlantic coast to small towns and fisheries, Fink made this business the catalyst for his first published novel, “In Search of Joel Gomez.”
His businesses and life experiences provided fodder for more than 25 tales and eight novels he wrote. Fink’s ninth novel is currently with his editor to be proofed and published. He was working on yet another novel when he died. He also wrote dozens of songs and performed his poetry and storytelling widely, including at the Philadelphia Fringe Festival and Philadelphia Folk Festival.
For several years, he organized the Chestnut Hill Singer Songwriter Slam, which featured dozens of local musicians and artists. It was his greatest joy to find like-minded musicians, and everywhere he went around the world, he would take his guitar and find others who enjoyed playing music. Each summer, he would sit on the deck at the shore and play music every night.
“He traveled to Mexico on a whim to scuba dive without knowing how to swim,” Ruth Fink recalled. He performed “in the same folk clubs as Bob Dylan in New York City. His most thrilling story was ‘The Flight of the Spielkamrad’ about a sailing trip he took with a group of friends, none of whom had any sailing experience, to the Bahamas.”
Fink was always taking on new adventures. In 1983, he built his home in Chestnut Hill with only one 16-year-old helper, nailing every board himself. It was there in the woods where he lived with Ruth for the past 43 years. His home is filled with furniture he built, water colors he painted, and the garden he tended to every day. He spent hours walking through the Wissahickon with one of his many dogs over the years. He could fix almost anything and could as easily be found on the roof at 85 as in the living room watching the Eagles and Phillies.
“Ted was a classic Phillies and Eagles fan and could not watch the games with anyone, including himself,” his family said in a prepared statement. “He frequently went in and out of the room and asked for updates on the score rather than bear the agony of watching his favorite teams lose. He was convinced that his presence in certain rooms influenced results and would change where he watched games based on his latest superstitions.
“His passion for baseball led him to coach Little League baseball in the Chestnut Hill Fathers Club for over 10 years and coach middle school baseball at Germantown Friends School. But nothing delighted him more than his family. He was a loving father, grandfather, uncle and husband who took joy in every moment he spent with his family. Many of his songs are love songs for his wife, and he was not shy about expressing that love in front of others. He loved watching his children and grandchildren grow and find their passion for music and stories and share them with him.”
Fink is survived by his wife, Ruth Fink, to whom he was married for 56 years; daughter Juliet Fink Yates and her husband Franklin Yates; son Matthew Fink and his wife Elizabeth Turrin; three grandchildren, Samuel, Zevi and Emanuel Yates; and many nieces and nephews who loved him dearly. His family will continue singing his favorite songs as long as they live.
Fink was pre-deceased by his brother Dr. Paul Fink (1933-2014), former president of the American Psychiatric Association, who also chaired psychiatry departments at several institutions, including Albert Einstein Medical Center and Jefferson Medical School.
Shiva was held on Sept. 18 at the home of Ruth Fink and on Sunday, Sept. 20, at the home of Juliet Yates. A memorial service will be planned and announced in the future.
Donations in his memory may be made to Friends of the Wissahickon, the Democratic Party, Chestnut Hill Community Association, Patchwork Storytelling Guild or the donor’s choice. But one can also honor Fink’s memory by visiting his website, tedfink.com, listening to his music and stories, and reading one of his novels.
Len Lear can be reached at lenlear@chestnuthilllocal.com.
