Mary Kingsley Foley

is honored with a Brick from Jim Farley.

(1902- )

Mary Bernadine Kingsley was born November 19, 1902, at the home of her parents, Ulysses Grant Kingsley and Katherin Loretta Gleason Kingsley, on a farm near Perth, Kansas. She was the fourth of five children: Oliver, Charles, Thomas, Mary, and Laura. She married John Foley in 1923.

Mary was sickly as a child, enduring among other things pneumonia, typhoid fever, and a rat bite that gave her blood poison; but this early characteristic belies her strength and ability to not only survive but triumph. Outspokenness, a strong will, boundless energy, loyalty, and a vibrant faith are hallmarks of her life.

Mary began first grade in 1906, completing her first eight years at Antioch School and then attending Sumner County High School in Wellington, Kansas. Every Sunday evening she took the Rock Island passenger train from Perth, Kansas, to Wellington, where she boarded during the week. She was the pitcher on a girls' baseball team when she was in her teens, wearing black pleated bloomers, black hose, and a white middy top.

Following graduation from high school, she studied to be a teacher, taking a six-week Normal Training Course in the summer as her preparation. Her school, Attebury School, was a one-room school house, and Mary taught grades one through eight. In addition to teaching, she also acted as janitor, with her primary duty in the winter starting and maintaining the coal stove.

At the end of that one year, Mary quit teaching to marry John Foley, a young man from Perth whose family had shared the same pew with the Kingsleys at the Prairie Creek Catholic Church. Together they had five children: Margaret Foley LaFary, Dorothy Foley Harms, Harry, Donna Foley Farley, and Larry.

Except for a few months in Hutchinson, Kansas, the Foleys lived in Wellington all of their married life. After John died in 1950, Mary worked at Cessna Aircraft for more than 16 years as a seamstress in the Upholstery Department.

For years, Mary has opened the door to her home to family and friends who have needed a place to stay for an afternoon, a few days, or a few months. Along with a cool drink or the space to wait for a ride, Granny (or Mary B. as she is irreverently, but affectionately called by many of her grandchildren) is always willing to share her opinions and counsel. Whether or not her advice is taken, Granny remains true to family and friend and never turns her back on anyone in need. Over the years, she made many dresses for her granddaughters, tended sick children (her own, her grandchildren, and great-grandchildren), and cooked and canned enough food to feed a small city. Today at 95 (in 1998), she volunteers regularly at the Thrift Store, washing and ironing donated blouses, makes craft items for sale at the Wellington Senior Center, enjoys her card games (showing no mercy no matter how young her opponents are!), and travels wherever and whenever she can.

Her life has been touched by much sorrow and many burdens, including the serious illnesses of her children, the untimely deaths of her husband, one son, and one daughter, financial set-backs, and her own health problems. Her attitude is unwavering: "you just have to accept 'it' and go on" is a phrase we often hear. While many people may espouse the same philosophy, Granny's style of "going on" is what endears her to all. She celebrated her 80th, 85th, 90th, and 95th birthdays with her family and friends at a reception, dinner, Mass, and dance. Her grandchildren and great-grandchildren will long remember Granny doing the Chicken Dance and Cotton-eyed Joe.

Mary Kingsley Foley is well-known and loved for her opinions, her generosity, and her ability to endure.

Submitted by Jim Farley

September 11, 1998