William L Foley Sr, a resident of The Arbors in Taunton, died Friday, June 6 2008, at Caritas Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton, from complications following a heart attack in March 2008. He had lived in Taunton for 38 years, and was 82 years old when he passed away.
He had been married to the former Catherine Madonna for 49 years. She passed away in 2005. He is survived by his three sons, Paul Foley and Kevin Foley, both of Taunton, and William Foley Jr of Wallingford, PA (wife Jeanne), his only daughter, Pamela Foley of Oxford, England (husband Paul), three granddaughters, and several nieces and nephews. Paul and Kevin Foley are severely autistic and, as noted, still reside in Taunton.
Mr. Foley was born and raised in Bellingham where his family, and that of his mother’s, the Buckleys, were active participants in village public life. Mr. Foley was the son of the late Timothy and Anna Foley, and brother to the late Rita, Clare and Mary. He attended Bellingham schools, and later earned a Bachelors Degree in Business from Northeastern University, Boston, in 1952, having attended on the GI Bill. He went on to work for the federal government as a housing appraiser until the 1980’s, when he retired. During World War II, he joined the Army Air Core, now referred to as the Air Force, in 1944, and served in France and Germany.
Mr. Foley enjoyed sports, especially baseball, and was an avid Red Sox fan. He enjoyed reading, bowling and doing the daily Cryptic in the Taunton Gazette. In his youth he played the clarinet and played three sports in high school and later played semi-pro baseball and briefly managed a team.
Mr. Foley was cremated. A small memorial service will be held at the Massachusetts National Cemetery, off Connery Avenue, Bourne, MA 02532, on July 28th at 2:45pm. Further information can be obtained from www.okeefewade.com.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Mr Foley’s name may be made to Cooperative Productions (an organization that provides homes for adults with disabilities), P.O. Box 506, North Dighton, MA 02764-0506. Please mark for the William Foley Memorial Fund and make checks out to Cooperative Productions. The O’Keefe-Wade Funeral Home of Taunton is assisting the family with they arrangements.