Sister Margaret Foley
1934-2008
On June 14, 1934, in Chicago, Martin and Margaret (Scales) Foley rejoiced in the birth of their first child, a healthy baby girl. The child was christened Margaret, but usually called Marguerite, to eliminate confusion between mother and child. A little over a year later, a second daughter was born and baptized Eileen, and three years later Catherine, better known as Kay, completed the family.
Both parents were from County Clare, Ireland, and had left their native country for the United States. They, however, still treasured all things Irish, and taught their daughters to be proud of their Irish heritage. Margaret loved Irish music, and attended many of the Irish dances held in Chicago. All three girls learned Irish step-dancing.
The Foley daughters attended St. Sabina Elementary School, taught by the Sinsinawa Dominicans. Margaret was the "big sister," and saw to it that Eileen and Kay arrived at school safely. Kay tells about the time that the three girls were going to a pool to swim, and had to cross some railroad tracks. She was a little behind the other two, and was frightened when her shoelace was caught in the tracks. Margaret ran back to her, took her foot out of the shoe, and then pulled the shoe free. This happened shortly before a train arrived at that spot. The two younger girls learned to obey their "big sister." At the wake, Bill Meyer, Eileen's husband, remembered walking to school "hand-in-hand" with Eileen and Kay, probably benefiting from Margaret's care. He said in part:
Margaret's life was blessed. She came from a wonderful family. Her mother Margaret and her father Martin were models of what happiness is all about. Margaret and her sisters, Eileen and Catherine, were inseparable. They were always there for one another, without hesitation and with complete assurance. They were the three musketeers.
Margaret graduated from St. Sabina School, and enrolled at Aquinas High School with the Adrian Dominicans. When she was old enough, she found a part-time job and was considered a good worker. Bill Meyer shared another memory.
I remember Margaret in high school when the kids from the block would hang out at a hamburger joint on Friday nights and all make the small talk of the week. I remember Margaret working at a drug store, working at the ice cream counter. She was always fun and made the best sundaes and shakes. She would always give me an extra scoop of ice cream.
During her years at Aquinas, Margaret admired the sisters, and began to feel a desire to join them. She spoke to Sister Joan of Arc Bachand, who told her parents. They were not happy, and felt that she was too young, but they did not stand in her way.
Shortly after graduation, on June 22, 1952, eight days after her eighteenth birthday, Margaret arrived in Adrian and entered the postulate. In August she was sent to Toledo, Ohio, where she taught primary children at Blessed Sacrament School for the first semester of the 1952-53 school year. She returned to Adrian for the Christmas celebration; and on December 30, with her group she received the habit and her religious name, Sister Patrick Clare, an appropriate name for one with an Irish background. The novitiate year of prayer and study followed, and on December 31, 1953, she professed her first vows. She had taken a sewing class at Aquinas High School, and was very grateful for that knowledge when she found that she had to make her own habits.
Almost immediately after profession she was on her way to St. Lawrence in Utica, Michigan, where she taught second grade for the last semester of that school year. She returned to Adrian and spent the summer studying at Siena Heights College (now University), then was sent to Bronxville, New York, where she again taught second graders for seven years at St. Joseph School.
In 1961 she was in Ohio, teaching second graders at St. Mary School in Defiance. After a year she returned to Michigan, and taught first and second graders at St. Mary School in St. Clair. A highlight in her life occurred in June 1963, when Siena Heights College (now University) in Adrian, as a result of summer study, conferred upon her a Bachelor's Degree with a major in English and minors in history and Spanish.
She was on the train for Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964. There she taught first grade at St. Matthew School for a year. Brought back to Michigan, she was again with first graders at St. Basil in East Detroit for four years.
The year 1969 saw her in Chicago, teaching first grade at St. Nicholas of Tolentine School. She had been suffering from ill health, and had received medical attention and rested during some of the summers. In 1972 she was given permission to rest and recuperate at her parents' home in Chicago.
After a year of recuperation, she spent the next eleven years in the southern part of the country. These years included seven years in Florida: two years at Bishop Moore in Orlando, where she taught on the high school level; three years at Our Lady of Lourdes in Melbourne, again with elementary children; and two years at St. Jude Cathedral in St. Petersburg. It was during these years that she and Sister Judith Friedel became fast friends. They lived together, prayed together, and shared faith together. Each came to know and love the family of the other. It was also during this time, in 1979, that Sister Margaret lost her father.
For the next four years she was in Arizona: a year at the Kino Learning Center in Tucson, and three years at Santa Catalina Mission in Catalina as administrator of the religious education program. Another sad period occurred in her life in 1983, when her mother died.
In 1984 she returned to the Midwest, and served as assistant librarian at Regina Dominican High School in Wilmette, Illinois, for six years. She left Regina in 1990, and became secretary to the principal of St. Christopher School in Rocky River, Ohio, a position that she held for eleven years.
She retired in 2001, but remained in Rocky River, ministering as a volunteer to the homebound and the elderly. In 2002 she and Sister Judith moved to Westlake, Ohio, where Sister Margaret volunteered her services as a tutor and minister to the homebound. It was there that the illness that was to take her life came to light, and the Congregation freed Sister Judith to care for her in her last days. At the wake, Sister Mary Sue Kennedy, Prioress of Adrian Crossroads Chapter,
said:
Sister Margaret loved to travel, to go on vacations, to give and attend parties. She was a very generous and hospitable woman. Only last October Sister Donna Markham [ Prioress of the Congregation] and I visited the sisters in Cleveland. Sister Margaret provided a wonderful dinner for the whole group (she was a great cook). [She] was not feeling well then and had not yet been diagnosed with cancer, but she was as warm and gracious as I had experienced many times before.
Sisters Margaret and Judith belonged to the Luminaria Mission Group, and frequently prepared the prayer for the group's meetings. Sister Margaret wrote in her annals, "The gathering of our group on the weekends . . . is very important to all of us. I feel that we share, listen, and are very supportive of each other."
Sister Mary Sue said, "Sister Margaret's faith life was so evident to me as I visited with her in Cleveland last week. She knew that her days were numbered and she was afraid, but she knew that her God would be with her."
God took Sister Margaret to eternity on June 2, 2008.
Her wake-remembrance service was held in St. Catherine Chapel on June 5. Sister Mary Sue Kennedy opened the service, extended sympathy, and welcomed those who had assembled to honor Sister Margaret: her sisters Eileen and husband Bill Meyer, and Kay and her husband Jerry Devane; nieces Therese and Trisha; great niece Genevieve; her long-time friend Sister Judith Friedel, and her many Dominican friends.
Sister Mary Sue summarized Sister Margaret's life and ministry, and spoke of Sister Margaret's last months.
When Sister Margaret had surgery in December and the doctors said that the tumor was too large to do the procedure they had anticipated, she found this a very hard piece of news-who wouldn't? But she chose possibilities that might help her to live longer in the chemo prescribed by the doctors. The tumors did not respond to the chemo the way the doctors thought it might. Still she fought on because she loved life and she loved those around her.
Sister Judith Friedel spoke out of a full heart:
I had the privilege of living with Sister Margaret for thirty-three years in several different places. Some knew her as Margaret, some as Marguerite, but I have called her Maggie over the years.
I believe that Meister Eckhart was on target when he said, "If the only prayer you ever say is 'thank you,' it will be enough." So my words, my prayer for you Maggie, my dearest friend, are "thank you." You gave me such an example of true dedication, hard work, and selfless service in the name of Christ.
Thank you for being my "sister," as in family. We came as close to each other as we are to our very own sisters. Your family became my family, and my family became your family.
Now I thank you for being another heavenly connection to me. I will pray to you and count on your help. I believe that our bond will not be broken. I'm sad, but also glad, and with time and your help I will grow to be most grateful. Thank you for the memories.
As I cared for her these past months, I will always remember that when I got her settled in bed and was leaving the room, she would say, "Thank you for all that you did for me today," and I would say, "You're welcome. You would do the same for me."
I thank the Congregation for freeing me to be her caregiver.
Bill Meyer, Sister Margaret's brother-in-law, spoke in praise of her.
Our dear Margaret chose a path that was flawless. Her path led her to the gate of heaven. She has served the Lord diligently and with complete love for her vocation.
She was a super cook, housekeeper, and shopper, and used coupons for everything. She was a true inspiration to all of us. She had a lot of knowledge of most sports. She could tell you the first and last names, and sometimes the middle names, of the players and the positions they were playing. Her niece Therese and her grandniece Genevieve helped fill her life with fun and laughter, especially on the holidays when we all got together. These memories will last us a lifetime.
Dear, sweet Sister Judy, her companion of thirty-three years, who nursed her and was there by her side from the beginning to the end-thank you for the love you shared with her. May God bless you.
Jerry Devane, husband of Sister Margaret's sister Kay, said in part:
I consider it a privilege to be able to talk to the group here tonight, and I appreciate the beautiful music that I heard tonight. I thank Sister Margaret for allowing me to know her. She will be remembered by all of us here. I recognize her dedication and hard work. Every one of us is a better person for having known her.
Sister Margaret's funeral liturgy was held on June 6. Her cousin, Rev. Michael Foley, pastor of Good Shepherd Parish in Tallahassee, Florida, was the presider and homilist. A few thoughts from his homily are:
God speaks to us, but we don't always hear what God has to say. . . . She heard the Lord calling her. I pay tribute to her parents and family for creating the environment that helped her hear and respond to the call. Her vocation was born in the family and influenced by the faith, practice, and witness of her parents. Responding to the call was not easy.
What a wonderful life she has lived! She has given fully of herself to her community and to the schools and parishes where she ministered. As Sister Judy has said, she was at her best in relating with children. Her face would light up and her eyes were full of excitement as she shared stories relating to the children at school-what they were into and what they were doing. She came alive in sharing her stories about the things that happened .
Sister Margaret was the Lord's disciple and didn't count the cost. Now her journey has ended and God has taken her through the door that opens into the beauty of eternity. Those left behind will shed tears of loss, but there she is welcomed by the loved ones who preceded her, and there she at last will see face-to-face the God she served through all her life.