Mary Foley Richardson

MARY FOLEY RICHARDSON

Gold Run, Calif.

Mary Foley Richardson "Ma Foley" born May 22, 1936, passed away peacefully Sept. 20, 2021, in Gold Run, Calif.

She tells us she was born on the dining room table at their family farm in Mount Zion, Wis. She attended School in Seneca, Wis., and proudly remembers playing the trumpet in the high school band and going to state competition in public speaking. She worked as an nurse's aide at the John Sutters Hospital in Prairie du Chien, where she went on a blind date with our father, Ronnie Foley. They fell in love and were married on Sept. 10, 1954. They moved to Iowa where they had and raised their eight children. They lived in Hopkinton from 1959 to 1979. During these years, she worked at various factories and for Delaware County as a family planning aide.

In 1972, Ron was diagnosed with a debilitating muscle disease and she stepped up and took care of the family and him until he recovered several years later. In 1979 the family moved to Cedar Rapids, where she got a job at the Cedar Rapids Airport in the maintenance department -- working for 16 years until she retired, sometimes leading tours of school children and often ran into old friends of the family -- always taking the time to "catch up." After retirement, she proudllly obtained her Adult High School Diploma from Kirkwood in 1999.

After Ron's death, she met and married Herb Richardson gaining more children and grandchildren to love. Later she moved from Cedar Rapids to Northern California where she eventually lived with Diane.

She enjoyed fishing, baking, gardening, traveling, shopping, playing bingo and spending time with family.

She was preceded in death by her husbands, Ron Foley and Herb Richardson; her son, David; and her granddaughter, Alicia.

She is survived by one sister, Marilyn Curtis; her children, Debra (Chuck) Sauerbier, Diane Foley Stevenson, Dannette (Henry) Trinidad, Dienielda Foley, Daniel (Terese) Foley, Donny Foley and Delinda (Anthony) Mull; 12 grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren.

As a beloved mother, grandmother, aunt, cousin, sister, daughter and friend she was a formidable force and a strong matriarch who taught all of us the value of hard work, respect and responsibility that are the foundation of what we are today. We will miss her dearly.

A Celebration of Life will take care take take place from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 2, at the Brosh Chapel 2121 Bowling Street S.W. Cedar Rapids. Prayer and memories will be shared at 2 p.m.