Mary Therese (Finley) McLoone, who with her husband founded Lake Country Publications, was born June 30, 1929, to Herbert and Gertude Finley, she grew up in Janesville, Minn., and graduated from the College of St. Teresa in Winona.
While in college, she met her future husband, Jim McLoone, and they were married June 13, 1953, at Saint Ann Catholic Church in Janesville. The McLoones had eight children in total: Pat, Maureen, Sheila, Katie, John, Mary, James and Bridget.
McLoone and her husband moved several times, first for his military training in Oklahoma and later for several newspaper positions. They bought their first newspaper in Stewartville, Minn., and in 1960 relocated to Hartland, Wis.
After moving to Hartland, Jim and Mary McLoone founded the Lake Country Reporter and its parent company, Lake Country Publications. The company ultimately included four weeklies, one semi-monthly and two shoppers before they sold it in 1990.
Mary died Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021, at her home. She was 91.
