Paul passed away on July 15, 2023.

In his letter to the Class, Steve Brown wrote:

Dear Classmates and Friends/Family of ’71,   

Unfortunately Paul Schneider passed away on Saturday afternoon after a long illness.  I have attached a link to his In Memoriam page on our class website which contains Flower’s personal statements from our 25^th and 50^th reunions which describe his family life and career as a lawyer in Longmeadow, Mass. Flower’s family is holding a private service in Florida, and planning a Celebration of Life on Monday, October 23 from 12:30 to 3:00 PM at the Delaney House in Longmeadow, MA.  (Scroll down from this link for directions).  Please contact Mike Rade or John Chambers for more information if you’re interested in attending.

Below are 2 thoughtful remembrances from Mike and John, Flower’s best friends from ’71.

Mike wrote:

He was my closest college friend, my partner for 20 years in the Alumni Golf Tournament, and Uncle Flower to my two children. As a friend no one could be more loyal. He was a wonderful husband to the love of his life, Meg, and a great father to Kate and Greg.

Having a drink with Paul was an unforgettable experience. His law partners, high school friends, and fellow Ephs all loved him. We spoke weekly on the phone and always argued about the Pats v. the Bills and the Red Sox v. the Yankees. I know he is pain free and  in a better place but I’ll miss him every day.

John Chambers added:

When we first met Paul Schneider,  he looked like Paul Newman. Greg Bone was our JA; when it was Paul’s turn for a road trip, Bone declared that he smelled like a flower – so a nickname was born, and it stuck for 55 years. Never was there a more steady, unselfish friend. Yet he was a realist who understood his friends’ foibles. When it came time to name a godfather for his son Greg, Paul created a tandem, with Mike Rade for reliability and me as an apprentice. All these years later
when it was clear that Paul was not going to see the end of the baseball season , Mike and I, together with Paul’s best friend from high school,		John’s Williams flag flies at half-staff for Paul.
Henry Rigali, went to visit him in Sarasota. We laughed, cried, told stories, argued different versions of memories (Paul going over the water ski jump ramp, head down , skis up – awesome stunt or miracle survival?) and laughed some more. Then, a few weeks later, it was that same godson, Greg who broke the news to us. I’m pretty sure Paul planned it that way.

I am sure that our all of our thoughts and prayers are with Paul’s wife, Meg, and his two children.

For his personal statement in our 50th Reunion book, he wrote

“OLD FRIENDS”

“Old friends, old friends

Sat on their park bench like bookends

A newspaper blown through the grass

Falls on the round toes

Of the high shoes of the old friends

*** ***

Can you imagine us years from today

Sharing a park bench quietly?

How terribly strange to be seventy

*** ***

A time it was, and what a time it was

A time of innocence, a time of confidences

                     – Paul Simon, 1968

*** ***

While I doubt Williams is unique, I am always amazed at the number of classmates who formed friendships that have lasted 50+ years.  To all my old (in both senses of the word) friends – thank you.

John Chambers and Paul		Paul (upper left) and Megan (upper right) with friends at our 45th.
Alumni from ’70 and ’71 and their spouses wore flowered attire in honor of Flower who played in the event for years with Mike Rade.

 
For our 25th book he wrote:
 

After graduation, I attended Suffolk University Law School in Boston.  Upon completing law school, my first job was in Washington, D.C., working for a small Federal Commission working as a staff attorney.  I returned to the area where I grew up, Springfield, Massachusetts, after a year and took a job in private practice. After another two years or so, I left that firm and joined another, larger firm.  After seven years, I left that firm and went to work at the law firm with which I currently practice and with which I am a partner.  More importantly, I married MEgan in 1983.  We have two children, Kate, who is almost six and Greg, who is almost three.

If pleasure is truly the absence of pain, then I’ve had a happy twenty-five years.  I have a wonderful family, my work is reasonably interesting, and many of the friendships I made at Williams remain today.

This obituary was published by Baldwin Brothers Funeral & Cremation of Sarasota, Florida:

Paul F. Schneider, Esq., recently of Sarasota, FL and a lifelong resident of Longmeadow, MA. died peacefully on July 15, 2023 under the care of his family and Tidewell Hospice. He leaves his beloved wife and partner Megan. They were married for forty wonderful years. One of his most loving and enriching experiences was being a Dad to his children Katherine Amalie and Gregory Paul. He is survived by his brothers Mark, Karl and their families. Paul graduated from Longmeadow High School in 1969, Williams College in 1971, and Suffolk University School of Law in 1974. His memories and friendships with his friends at Williams College were a source of great pride and joy throughout the years.
Paul was a well respected attorney for over fifty years. He began his career working in Washington, D.C. He returned to Massachusetts and joined several firms throughout his years practicing law. His primary specialty was litigation. He was proudest of his representation of an eight year old child whose family was killed in the 9/11 tragedy. There will be a tribute gathering in Paul’s memory at the convenience of the family in the autumn of 2023.On September 3, 2023, Kent Rude shared a “small world” story: I went to pick up my daughter, Emily, from her adult program to go to the dentist. (For those that haven’t met her, Em is the daughter with autism. An adult program gives her a place to go during the day when she is not working or volunteering.) Anyhow I was wearing a Williams polo and the young man staff member asked if someone I knew had gone to Williams. “Me.” He: “My dad went there in the 70’s.” Me: “I’m class of ’71. Who is your dad?” He: “Paul Schneider.” Me: “Flower. He was in my class!” He grinned and shook his head. I gave him my condolences over Flower’s recent death, but he had to get back to his other clients and I had to get to the dentist.   Small world, indeed.

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.

We lost Hugh on June 27, 2022.  He had contributed the following to our Class Book:

Before our 25^th reunion, thoughts of a midlife crisis or retirement before age 70 or even 75 had not crossed my mind. With the failed Clinton initiative, the evolution of healthcare stalled, changing my mind. After a year promoting computing and information technology in radiology as a fellow of our national society, I spent four years in a night school master’s program to discover where medicine is and should be going and whether I should go with it. The answers were that medicine must, can, and will change and that I should stay in it. Spurred by a strong economy and an obvious need for change at the turn-of-the-century, our country, with its democratic principles, political willpower, and economic and medical resources, could and would create the best healthcare system in the world.

I stayed with radiology but left the the University where the Department had lost its direction, sacrificing education and research for service. My family preferred to stay in Cincinnati, so I went into private practice. I joined a newly forming, more collegial imaging group in Middletown, a smaller city between Cincinnati and Dayton. I happily practiced breast imaging and general radiology for the final eleven years of my career and continued my premed aide program. Thirteen of the last seventeen were Ephs.

At age 65, five years short of my target, I was pushed into retirement by a spine tumor that required major surgery, four months of limited activity (pre-quarantine training), and a year for complete recovery. I admit to having earlier thoughts of retirement, including ideations of more agreeable climes, more time with family, and more color with less grayscale, all of which were realized: winters in Florida (another surprise), summers in Maine with one daughter’s family, spring and fall in Cincinnati with the other’s.

All good? Not quite. Post-surgery television covered a mass shooting (Umpqua College, Oregon). Then, a racist was elected president, followed by the catastrophic pandemic response, all in the wake of an authoritarian response to 9/11, endless and corrupt wars — no lesson learned from Vietnam, denigration of knowledge and science, and a healthcare solution severely limited by shameful politics. So much for my rosy prediction! Solution: read; bolster my Division II Social Studies so that I might “recognize, analyze, and evaluate human structures to understand better the social world in which we live (Williams College Course Directory).”

Am I less optimistic about the future than I was 50 years ago? I am not as naïve, but my optimism is tempered by new understandings. Progress is often one step forward, one step back. Mobility disrupts families and neighborhoods. My friend technology displaces finance from small towns to big ones, gutting local control. I am grateful for the positives, but the negatives weigh heavily. The speed of life is out of control. Power trumps logic. So, what am I going to do? Keep on reading, doing projects, talking with friends, enjoying family, and maintaining hope. It has worked, so far, at least for me.

Poppy and Hugh, 1971 – 2021		Daughter Abby with husband Joe and daughters Kaitlyn and Cece; Portland, Maine		Daughter Emily with husband Chris, daughters Teagan and Elcie, and son Grady; Cincinnati