Betty J. Foley, 87, of rural Mediapolis, died peacefully in her sleep on Sunday, Dec. 18.
Born Feb. 18, 1935, she was the daughter of James Sr. and Vera Hillyard Wirt.
She attended Burlington High School and graduated in 1953. After graduating, she held several secretarial positions in Burlington before deciding to move to Hawaii. While in Hawaii, she met the love of her life on a blind date. She and William "Bill" Foley were married on September 14, 1963, at First United Methodist Church in Burlington. He preceded her in death on Sept. 29, 2015.
She worked for a short time after they were married before they started a family. After her girls were older, she and a close friend opened a resale shop in Mediapolis, and later she and her daughter opened a daycare center.
Betty liked playing cards and played in several card clubs over the years. She also bowled for many years in several leagues, bowling up until she was in her early 80s. She loved spending time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and going to their events. You could always find her playing on the floor or in the playhouse with the little ones or playing Yahtzee with the older kids. She and her sister Donna played Rummikub nearly every day.
She is survived by daughters, Christy (John) Hull, Cathy (Wayne) McIntyre, sister Donna Schrader, sisters-in-law Lorraine Wirt and Irene Foley, grandchildren Danielle (Darrick) Beliel, Alyssa Hull, Travis Hull, McKayla McIntyre, Brendan McIntyre, and great-grandchildren Blakely, Benson and Wyatt, several nieces and nephews, and numerous cousins.
She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, her mother, and father-in-law, Paul and Jane Jackson, two brothers, James Jr. (Jimmy) and Allan, and brother-in-law William "Bill" Schrader.
The Celebration of Life for Betty was Saturday, Dec. 31 at Grace United Methodist Church.
A memorial will be established.