Joyce Foley

Joyce (Haire) Foley passed away on Tuesday, February 14th, after a long and courageous fight with cancer.  She is survived by her best friend and love of her life, her husband, Jack. Joyce was born in Queens, N.Y. and grew up in East Northport, L.I. Prior to moving to Naples, Jack and Joyce lived in Niskayuna, N.Y. and Stone Harbor, N.J.

After graduating from SUNY at Oneonta, Joyce was employed at the Lynwood School in the Guilderland School District, in Guilderland, N. Y for 34 years, as a teacher of 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade students.
After an early retirement from teaching, Joyce re-enrolled in college and completed certification requirements in Gerontology and Bereavement Counseling. She was devoted to sharing her skills as a care giver and served as a Hospice volunteer in Schenectady, N.Y. for 7 years.  After relocating to Naples, F.L., Joyce continued her quest to give back to the community in which she lived.  She has spent countless hours as a volunteer to several charitable organizations.  Among them were the Guadalupe Social Service Center’s Food Pantry, spearheaded a drive to raise funds for Cancer Alliance of Naples, she was recognized for her 10 year commitment to at risk elementary school students in an after school program at Grace Place where she was named the Volunteer of the Year.

Perhaps Joyce’s most treasured volunteer work centered around giving comfort to other cancer patients by organizing a “Ms. Joy Bear Project”.  “Joy Bears” are decorated teddy bears that were hand decorated by the 150 women who were recruited by Joyce to decorate and distribute these bears to give comfort to men, women and children cancer patients undergoing various stages of treatment.  After a modest beginning at Heritage Bay Golf and Country Club, over 3600 bears have been distributed in the Naples area, other parts of Florida as well as in New York and Georgia.

In addition to spending countless hours of her time doing charitable works, Joyce found time to assist in forming a Ladies Golf Association at Heritage Bay, was selected as President of the Ladies 9 Holers.  An added passion for Joyce was to support the Florida Gulf Coast University men and women’s basketball teams.

Joyce was preceded in death by her parents, John and Elizabeth Haire, her sister, Maureen (“Mighty Mo”) Baxter and brother Richard (Rickie) Haire.

She was the dear sister-in-law to Penny Haire, Debbie and Kevin Daly, Liz Henry, Claire Niven, Mary Ellen Foley O’Brien, Gerry and Ed Hebert and Bill and Madeline Foley.  Joyce is also survived by many close nieces and nephews, grand nieces and nephews and her beloved husband Jack.

The family would like to extend sincere thanks to the priest and parishioners of St. Agnes Parish and to the many special and caring friends at Heritage Bay Gold and Country Club. And also to the very special and caring staff at Avow Hospice.

A funeral mass will be celebrated at St. Agnes Church on Wed. Feb. 21 at 3:00 p.m. A gathering in the Narthex (main entrance of the church) will be at 1:30 where the family will receive friends and loved ones. The church is located at 7775 Vanderbilt Beach Rd., Naples.

There will be a memorial service held in Schenectady New York at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Agnes Catholic Church, or Guadalupe Social Services, 211 S 9th St., Immokalee 34142, attention Peggy Rodriguez.
 

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