Mary L (Griffin) Foley

Mary Louise (Griffin) Foley, 94, of Braintree died June 9, 2016 surrounded by her loving family at Grove Manor Estates, Braintree.  In her final days, Mary was cared for by the dedicated staff of Ascend Hospice.  Mary was born on December 7, 1921 in Somerville, MA.  She was the daughter of John Griffin and Mary (Connelly) Griffin.  She graduated from Medford High School in 1939 and then attended Boston College.  Fluent in Spanish, Mary put her skills to work as a translator for American Hide and Leather in Boston.  During World War II she worked for the U.S. Government as a secretary for the military police, tracking down AWOL soldiers in Boston.  When the War ended, Mary was redeployed to the War Assets Administration.  It was there that she met her future husband, Frank Foley, on an office ski outing to the White Mountains.  They were married on May 28th, 1949.  During their marriage, Mary was a military wife, relocating frequently with their family of six children, sometimes holding down the fort while Frank was assigned to locations where families were not allowed.  They settled in Braintree in 1968, making this her home for nearly 50 years.  Mary was devoted to her six children, 18 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren.  She enjoyed babysitting, baking, knitting, and sewing.  Mary loved attending her children and grandchildren’s sporting events and activities.  During her last years at Grove Manor, she was known for her fashionable wardrobe, incredible Scrabble skills, and luck at Bingo.  Mary faithfully attended Sunday Mass until her final months.  She was predeceased by her husband, Frank.  She is survived by her six children, Patty Cook and her husband Gerry of Scituate, Terry Rowan and her husband Tom of Broomfield, CO, Barbara MacKinnon and her husband Gary of Scituate, Dan and his wife Sharon of Stafford, VA, David and his wife Maureen of Chelmsford, and Mary McKenna and her husband Brian of Easton; as well as 18 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.  One of four siblings, Mary was predeceased by her brother John and is survived by her brother Joseph and her sister Kathleen Casey.  Mary’s family would like to give special thanks to the nurses and nurse’s aides at Grove Manor Estates, to the Hospice team at Ascend Hospice, and to her personal companion Siobhan O’Leary. A Funeral Mass will be held on Monday June 13 at 10 AM in the Church of St. Clare, 1244 Liberty St., Braintree Highlands. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to visit the McMaster Funeral Home 86 Franklin St. (RT37) Braintree Sunday from 2 - 5 PM  . The family sincerely requests that in lieu of flowers, contributions in her name may be made to Scituate Animal Shelter 780 Chief Justice Cushing Hwy Scituate MA 02066. 

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