Mary Beth Foley

"Those we love can never be more than a thought away, for as long as there's a memory, they live in our hearts." In her 68 years of life Beth Foley lived each day to its fullest; she loved spending time outdoors, creating everlasting memories with her husband, John, and she especially had a gift for making others' smile. She was beautiful inside and out. Mary Beth Foley, of Imperial Beach, California, formerly of Newburyport, Massachusetts died at home on Monday, September 7, 2020 following a period of declining health. She was 68 years old. Mary Beth was born on February 2, 1952 in Newburyport to the late Cornelius J. "Red" and Mary C. (Kavaleski) Foley. After receiving her bachelor's degree from Trinity College in Burlington, Vermont, she went on to complete a degree in nursing from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. She worked at Kaiser Hospital in San Diego until her retirement in 2012. In 1982 she traded the New England lifestyle for much warmer salt air with a move to the West Coast, settling in San Diego and later to Imperial Beach in 1985. That same year she married the love of her life, career Navy veteran John Townes. The two spent thirty-five happy years together. In addition to helping others, Mary Beth loved all activities spent outdoors. Retirement afforded her the opportunity to do the things that she loved like creating beautiful spaces in her garden, walking the soft California sand at the beach, and traveling with John. The two especially loved going on cross-county road trips with their beloved canine companions, a journey they made four times. In addition to her parents, Mary Beth is reunited in Heaven with her brother Cornelius J. Foley, Jr. She leaves her husband, John, her sister-in-law, Ellen Foley of Nahant, and several nieces, nephews, cousins and their families. A private Funeral Mass for Mary Beth will be celebrated in Immaculate Conception Church in Newburyport. Burial will follow in Saint Mary's Cemetery, Newburyport. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to your local chapter of the American Cancer Society, www.cancer.org