Patricia Foley

Patricia (Howell) Foley

Patti Foley, 82, passed away on January 21, 2026. A Toledo native, she attended St. James Elementary, Central Catholic High, and graduated with a BBA from the University of Toledo in 1965. She was twice honored with Pacemaker Awards by the College of Business Administration for excellence in scholarship and leadership, and received the Chamber of Commerce Award for Meritorious Service. During her college years she was president of Alpha Omicron Pi Sorority and president of the Dancing Rock-ets, which performed during the half-times of UT basketball games. In the summer of 1965 she traveled to Europe for eight weeks with the Rock-ets, performing for American military troops during a Special Services tour, and received the Scroll of Appreciation for Showmanship & Entertainment from U.S. Army Europe.

She worked her way through high school and college with a variety of jobs, including two summers at the former Pure Oil Refinery in Oregon, OH, and several years at Sears in Westgate. Employment after college included as a Sales Account Executive for Ohio Bell, Toledo; Industrial Development Inc, Whichita Falls, Texas; Communisound, Findlay; Advertising Director for Connections Newspaper; and as co-owner of Commercials Plus, a small advertising company.

Active participation in her community was important, and she participated in many activities that made a positive difference in her Toledo neighborhood beginning in 1978 and continuing through much of her life. As part of The Westwood Neighborhood Coalition, she helped stop a highway from destroying her neighborhood. Later, while actively participating in the Burroughs Neighborhood Organization (BNO) she and others strongly opposed a thousand vehicle scrap yard from locating there, bringing noise, land, air and water pollution. Working with the University of Toledo, she and her BNO neighborhood welcomed UT Medical staff and students as new neighbors, helping preserve and stabilize the housing stock.

Always an avid reader, book discussion groups provided an opportunity to learn new things, discuss interesting books and make new friends; and she participated in several groups, including Welcome Wagon Book-enders discussion group, Toledo Heights Library book discussion group, After Lunch Bunch book group at Lakeside, Ohio. She was a member of the Women's Club and lead the WGTE TV Masterpiece Book Discussion Group for many years.

She enjoyed quilting and sewing, making quilts for her homes, relatives, and charities, and creating clothes and home décor items. Other hobbies included dancing, especially as dance exercise, and dining out with friends. The St. James School Alumni Dining Out Group was a special favorite, as was the Bar Auxiliary Couples Gourmet Group, which she and her husband participated in for 18 years. The latter group even published a cookbook whose entire first printing sold out. Patti and her husband, Pat, traveled widely in Europe, especially during the four years while they lived in Germany, where Pat served as Judge Advocate General (JAG) captain. A favorite trip after returning to the U.S. was to England in 2014 to view sites from the PBS television series Downton Abbey, and other PBS drama filming sites.

Vacations at Lakeside Chautauqua on Lake Erie were enjoyed for many years, so much so that they built a cottage there in 2001, and thereafter were able to spend many months at Lakeside each year and welcome friends and relatives there for visits. Patti participated in many of the activities while in Lakeside; the educational seminars, Lakeside Women's club book discussion groups and professional entertainment at Hoover Auditorium were special favorites.

She is survived by her husband of 59 years, Patrick; sister Victoria Sweeney; and was the proud mother of daughter, Colleen Machcinski of Katy, Texas; and Erin (Curt) Graber of Toledo; and loving grandmother of Nicholas and Alexandra Machcinski and Caitlin and Laina Graber. She was preceded in death by her parents, Allen and Viola Kanthak Howell.

A Memorial visitation will be held at Coyle Funeral Home, 1770 S. Reynolds Rd., on Tuesday, February 3, from 4:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m., with prayers and sharing of memories at 6:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Foundation Park Alzheimer's Care Center, 1621 Byrne Rd, Toledo, Ohio 43614. Patti's family appreciates their care in the final weeks of her life. Please view Patti's video tribute and leave a condolence message at CoyleFuneralHome.com.

www.coylefuneralhome.com