Robert “Bob” L. Foley
Robert “Bob” L. Foley
Lt. Colonel Robert Langdon Foley, retired, passed away peacefully on Sunday, May 1, 2016, at the age of 97. Dad was preceded in death by his beautiful wife Margaret Aimee, their daughter Mary Catherine and their son-in-law Jerry Girardi.
He is survived by his children Mike and Margie, Jim and Clair, Pat and Patty, Pete and Gerry, Dick and Ingrid and Carol. He was also preceded in death by 7 siblings: Mary, Jack, Francis, Dan, Gene, Catherine, and Rosie. He is survived by two siblings Eileen and Pat. Dad was born to John R. and Ellen Foley in Wabasha, Minnesota.
He grew up during difficult and challenging times: the Depression and World War II. No matter how challenging, Dad and his siblings had a lot of fun and were very active in the community. He was not immune to going off the grid at times. He and a good friend were arrested for jumping train cars at age 14. They had been found asleep in a boxcar. Dad played football at St. Felix high school. He was 95 pounds and had his clock cleaned more than once. His sisters would pray the rosary to protect him during games.
Dad emulated Tom Sawyer and spent some time on the Mississippi working on a Tug Boat. He said at night he would wake up in the top bunk and see hundreds of spiders on the ceiling and he was laying only a foot away from the ceiling. He eventually got into a disagreement with the Tug Boat captain, jumped overboard and swam ashore. That was it for his Mississippi adventure.
When Dad completed high school he attended St. Thomas College where he met and fell in love with our mother, Margaret Aimee Bishop.
Many a night he walked Cleveland Avenue from St. Thomas to St. Kate’s and back. He was smitten big time!
However, he did not graduate from St. Thomas but decided to join the Army Air Corps just before the United States entered World War II. Dad was trained as a pilot in Lincoln, Nebraska.
He was so disciplined and accurate that he was made an instructor pilot and assigned to Randolph Army Airbase in San Antonio, Texas. As a result, he was quickly promoted and became the youngest Major in the Army Air Corps at 23. Our family moved many times from Air Force base to Air Force base as Dad was transferred to new responsibilities training, new pilots. Late in the War, he was assigned to the B-29 as an aircraft commander and flew combat missions over Japan. Following the War, he was assigned to command a reconnaissance B-29 squadron at Travis AFB in California. Later, he commanded another squadron in the Military Airlift Command (MAC) transporting equipment and personnel from base to base over the world. One of his best experiences was having Charles Lindbergh as a passenger on a flight out of a base in Australia.
We liked to think that Lindbergh flew solo across the Atlantic and Dad flew him across the Pacific. Our family continued to transfer from base to base after the war and Dad was eventually promoted to Lt. Colonel. One of the transfers was to Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines.
While there, the President of the Philippines, Magsaysay, died in an airplane crash. Dad was the on-site investigator representing the US Air Force. Dad ended his career in the Air Force as the Commander of the Air Force Reserve in Wichita, Kansas.
Our favorite time with Mom and Dad were the many trips out West to the National Parks. Thanks to them we developed a great love for the outdoors. Dad turned us into an “Indy Pit Crew” when it came to unloading the car, setting up the tent or changing a flat tire.
Dad and Mom were retired in the Oakland Bay area and then moved to Minnesota with our encouragement. They lived in Mendota Heights for 18 years enjoying the company of relatives, friends and their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
They traveled the world in retirement and supported our brother Jim in his medical trips to Guatemala.
In 1986 Dad received a great honor from the University of St. Thomas. He was presented with the Humanitarian of the Year award for his many trips with his son Jim and wife Margie to help the patients Jim operated on for various facial deformities. Dad was also awarded an honorary Liberal Arts Degree.
Dad was always quick to address issues. When his son Peter was scheduled to be transferred to Fitzsimons Army Hospital in Denver to recover from wounds suffered in Vietnam, he quickly got on the phone to contacts in Washington D.C. and got Peter moved to Letterman General in San Francisco to be close to family.
He also stepped up to help one of the siblings with a large cash infusion to get through a difficult situation. No questions asked.
One and a half years ago Mom suffered a minor stroke and we helped them move to assisted living. They enjoyed a 2 bedroom apartment and continued to have company. Eventually, they moved to “Memory Care” as Mom and Dad began exhibiting signs of Dementia.
Mom passed away last December and Dad had a difficult time to begin with adjusting to her being gone. However, the staffs at the assisted living center were fabulous and loved him. Dad experienced problems late April that sent him to the hospital. Indications were his kidneys were failing. He died not long after entering the hospital on May 1, 2016.
The family feels he missed Mom so much he eventually decided to join her and their daughter Mary Catherine.
Memorial Service 11 AM Saturday, June 25, 2016, at OHalloran & Murphy Woodbury Cremation and Funeral Service (8700 Valley Creek Road, Woodbury) with visitation one hour prior to services.
Memorial Service 11 AM Sunday, June 26th at St. Felix Cemetery, Wabasha, and Interment at Fort Snelling National Cemetery 9:45 AM Monday, June 27th, assembly area 2.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Dorothy Day Center of St. Paul.
