Mike Foley passed away on June 21, 2023.

Mike came to Williams from the Canterbury School, and lived in Williams F and Gladden House.  He majored in English, and was also on the Swimming and Diving Team and a member of the JA Advisory Group.  He went on to earn his JD from Vermont Law School in 1977.  After graduating, he volunteered an an Admissions Representative, and was a member of our 25th Reunion Committee and 50th Reunion Fund Committee.  He served as Class Agent for the Alumni Fund from September 1994 to June 2001, and as an Associate Agent after that.  

 

You can download his typically upbeat Personal Statement for our 50th Reunion Book; it included pictures of Laura and David Newton’s son Det; Mike and Laura with son Nick, wife Eli, and son James in the Dolomites; and Laura and Tommy.
 
 

 

You might also want to read his statement from our 25th Reunion Book.

Mike and Laura were at our 50th in 2022:
     
 
Mike and Laura with John MacAllister and Laurel Moranz       John MacAllister, Steve Brown, and Mike

 

 In his letter to the Class, Steve Brown said

Sadly, Mike Foley passed away last Weds. at Mass General Hospital due to lung disease that appears to have been triggered by lung surgery he had about a month ago. He was a wonderful person and friend for 55 years – kind, friendly, caring, hard-working, and fun. He loved Williams (his dad was ’39 and brother Frank ’66),  the Class of ’71, and many of his classmates.  All four of his living Williams roommates (John MacAllister, Dave Newton, Bruce MacNelly, and I) were able to visit with him at MGH  several times (10-30 min.) on Monday and Tuesday.

At Williams, Mike was a JA and 50-100 yd. freestyler on the swim team. He graduated from Vermont Law School in 1977, and worked the last 30 years or so in a wealth management  firm in Boston with his brother-in-law,  Bill Sawyer (Williams ’66). 

 Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mike’s wife, Laura, his two children, Nick and Tommy, and all the rest of the extended Foley family. He will be missed  greatly by his family and all his Williams friends to whom he gave so much over the last 55 years.

After Mike’s funeral, there was a reception at his sister’s house; ’71 was represented by and Ilene Cooke and David Newton, Bruce MacNelly, Laurel Moranz and John MacAllister, Steve and Sue Brown, John Ackroff, and Don Mender.  John Chambers, Bob Eyre, Jim Lavigne, Dave Olson, Kent Rude, and Steve Latham were also there.

 

Tommy Foley has provided this obituary:

Michael Andrew Foley, age 74 of Carlisle, Massachusetts passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family on Wednesday, June 21, 2023. Michael was the son of the late Frank Martin Foley, Sr. and Alice A. “Citty” (Frauenheim) Foley.

Michael was born January 9, 1949. He was raised in Armonk, New York, and attended Canterbury School in Connecticut.

Michael attended Williams College, where he majored in English. He excelled as a member of the Swimming and Diving Team and was on the JA Advisory Group. Michael graduated in 1972, after taking a year off following the student strike of spring 1970. Mike’s connection to the Williams community was important to him, and he stayed involved in Williams affairs, serving as an Admissions Representative, Class Agent from 1994 to 2001, and as an Associate Agent after that. Mike was also on the 25th and 50th Reunion Fund Committees.

After graduation, he lived and worked with his fellow alumni in New York State. Michael moved to Stowe, Vermont where he worked at the ski area. He would earn his JD from Vermont Law School in 1977. Mike spent the next few years at a local general practice firm while developing his love of skiing.

It was in Stowe in April 1981 that Michael met his wife, Laura while working as a house painter. She soon became a writer, photographer, and eventually editor-in-chief for a weekly newspaper in Morrisville. They were married on Long Island, where Laura grew up, in October 1983. They lived together in Westford, Vermont before moving in 1986 to Melrose, Massachusetts and later Carlisle to raise a family.

Michael began a long and happy career as an investment counselor at Sawyer and Company in Boston, where he worked with his family. Mike had an amazing ability to connect with all types of people that served him well in his role.  He developed strong relationships with clients over the years and the warmth and caring he showed in these interactions was an inspiration to his coworkers.

Mike had a great love for the outdoors. He cherished hiking with his daughter Tommy in the White Mountains and walks in his local Estabrook Woods with Laura and his family dogs. Whenever he could, Michael and Laura traveled to the Dolomites in Italy, where his son Nick lives with his family. Lifelong summer trips to South Wellfleet, Cape Cod gave Mike the opportunity to swim, check in with family and friends, and remember his beloved mother, Citty.

Mike’s life was defined by the love he showed his abundant family and friends. The most popular adult with children at any gathering, Mike was known for his ability to put a smile on any face. Mike lovingly coached his children’s baseball and soccer teams, and was a regular at his sisters’ stores and on the street in Concord.

Michael is survived by his loving wife Laura McKeon Foley of Carlisle; son, Nicholas Foley and wife Elisabeth of Südtirol, Italy, and daughter Tommy Foley of Oakland, California; and two grandchildren, James and Claire Foley. Michael is also survived by his sisters Marie Foley, Toni Sawyer, and Susan Larson and brother Frank Foley, their many children and grandchildren, and his dog Sansa.

Family and friends gathered to honor and remember Michael at his funeral mass on Tuesday, June 27, 2023 at 10:30 am at St. Irene’s Catholic Church, 181 East Street, Carlisle. A reception at his sister’s house followed.