Sheila Foley

FOLEY Sheila Foley, an "Irish Rose," to all of those who loved her, died November 9, 2010 after a courageous and tenacious fight against metastatic breast cancer. Sheila was born on April 25, 1960 to Dennis P. and the late Barbara H. Foley of Stratford. She graduated from Notre Dame High School in Fairfield. Sheila worked full time in the Emergency Department of York Hospital in York, Pa., while she earned an Associate of Art Degree in Nursing from Harrisburg Area Community College, Harrisburg, Pa., graduating with high honors and then graduated cum laude with a BS in nursing from York College, York, Pa. Sheila's intellectual and nursing leadership endeavors were recognized by nomination and acceptance into Sigma Theta Tau, International. For more than 18 years, Sheila provided the best clinical care to her patients in the areas of emergency, electrophysiology, and ambulatory nursing. The majority of her practice of nursing was with York Hospital, where her tenure was marked by promotions to positions of increasing administrative and leadership responsibilities which included operations manager for the Emergency Department and senior clinician in the electrophysiology lab. She served as a preceptor for new nursing clinicians and employees. Sheila was recognized for these achievements by being awarded the Pre-hospital Health Professional Award for Clinical Excellence by York Hospital. Her innate gifts of treating all she met with respect, dignity and caring no matter their station in life, were the primary hallmarks of Sheila's practice of the art of nursing and the living of her daily life. Sheila was a skilled artisan of needlepoint, photography, and culinary creations. Her attention to detail and esthetic were evidenced in her dress, her gifts, and the wonderful notes and remembrances given to family and friends. Sheila's openness to adventure and the gift of life were exemplified by her love of travel and adventure. She was a water nymph, having spent her childhood on the shores of Long Island Sound and Jordan's Beach in Scarborough, Maine. Her love of the sea was highlighted by a trip that she and her best friend, Billie Jean Sullivan, took to Fiji. Sheila was strong of character and soft of heart. Her intellectual curiosity, wit, kindness, thoughtfulness, personal and professional ethics and sense of adventure are lifelong gifts that were given to her family and friends unconditionally, but especially her nieces and nephews, Kevin Michael and Bridget ("B") Foley and Brendan and Maura Rousseau and cousins, Paul S. and M. Regina Norton who were with Sheila on her life's final journey. Sheila will be missed by her faithful companion and source of joy, her dog, Duchess. She was predeceased by her mother, Barbara H. Foley. She is survived by her father, Dennis P. Foley; her beloved sister and final caregiver, Maureen Foley of Canton, Mass.; brother, Kevin Foley and spouse, Mary Lynn of Shelton; sisters, Kathleen, Margaret, Barbara and Theresa; and brothers, Patrick and Timothy. She is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. The family will be forever grateful for the loving care given Sheila throughout the course of her illness to Cornell Weill Breast Center, NY, NY, York Cancer Care, York, PA, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Mass. and the Sawtelle Family Hospice House, Reading, Mass. in lieu of flowers, Sheila requested that donations be made to Weill Cornell Breast Center, Attn.: Lucille Ferraro, New York Presbyterian Hospital, 1300 York Ave., P.O. Box 123, New York, NY 10006 or York Cancer Center, Attn: Development Office, 25 Monument Rd., Suite 194, York, PA 17403. Beidh muid gra duit go deo (We will love you forever), Sheila.