Sarah "Sarah B" Bernadette (Dillon) Foley

Sarah Bernadette ("Sarah B.") (Dillon) Foley, 94, of Norwood, MA died peacefully on November 24, 2021 at Spaulding Nursing and Therapy Center in Brighton following a long illness. Beloved wife of the late John J. Foley who died in 1965. Devoted mother of three cherished children, Mary Ann Foley of Charlestown, John ("Jack") Foley of Norwood, and Elizabeth Foley of Beacon Hill. Loving daughter of the late Paul and Bridget (Curran) Dillon of Spiddal, Ireland. Beloved sister of Bridget Donegan (the late Michael) of Dublin, Ireland, Nora Lynch (Patrick) of Chicago, Illinois, and the late Colman Dillon of Spiddal, Ireland, Margaret Duffy of Galway, Ireland, Mary Dillon Sanderson of Gloucester, Thomas Dillon of Birmingham, England, Martin Dillon of Gloucester and Patrick Dillon of Spiddal, Ireland. Loving aunt to many nieces and nephews and a dear friend to all those blessed to have her touch their lives.
Born in Spiddal, County Galway, Ireland on July 17, 1927, Sarah B. was raised in Ireland, attained a nursing degree in Dublin by the age of 20, and settled in Norwood in 1947. Upon her arrival to Norwood, she was a nurse in the maternity ward of the Norwood Hospital where she met and fell in love with John, her future husband, who was visiting friends celebrating the birth of a new addition to their family.
Following the death of her husband, a widow at the age of 38 with three young children, Sarah B. waited to return to her nursing career at the Norwood Hospital until her youngest child was in elementary school. When she did return to Norwood Hospital, she enjoyed a 38-year career as a health care professional who treated and cared for nearly every resident in Norwood and the surrounding towns. While balancing a full-time career and raising three young children on her own, Sarah B. attended every class and course available so she could independently landscape the yard of her beloved Cape Cod style home in Norwood, clean the gutters, and change the oil in the old Chevy which transported the Foley children and their bevy of friends to sporting events, shopping trips, numerous ice cream stops and the routine "joy ride" around her beloved town of Norwood. The house was always filled with laughter and love, and during the holidays, special guests at the dinner table she brought home from the Hospital who needed a home cooked meal and a warm welcome.
A devout Catholic who never missed her noon time Novenas, Sarah B. believed in the goodness of all. No matter your station in life, everyone was equal and a beloved child of God. Saturday Mass at 4:00 p.m. at St. Mary Church in East Walpole, followed by a trip to the Highland Cemetery to pay respects, and then dinner at one of her favorite local restaurants with her children was a weekly and cherished tradition.
In addition to all who loved Sarah B., the family expresses its unending gratitude to Sarah B.'s devoted friend and caregiver, Mary MacDonald, of South Boston. To quote Sarah B., "Mary is worth diamonds." The family also acknowledges and expresses its profound gratitude to Dr. Igor Palacios and his team at MGH for the extraordinary and loving care of Sarah B. for decades. Also, the devotion and commitment of Spaulding Nursing and Therapy Center in Brighton staff to Sarah B. cannot be captured in mere words. She was as loved by all staff as she loved them.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend visiting hours on Thursday, December 2, from 4-7 p.m. in the Kraw-Kornack Funeral Home, 1248 Washington St., Norwood. The Foley family requests that face masks be worn in the funeral home. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Friday, December 3, at 10:30 a.m. in St. Mary Church, 176 Washington St., East Walpole. Interment will follow at Highland Cemetery, Norwood.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Spaulding Nursing and Therapy Center in Brighton, in memory of Sarah B. Foley, at https://spauldingrehab.org/giving . Checks can be made payable to "Spaulding Brighton Annual Fund", with the memo notation, "In memory of Sarah B. Foley", and mailed to: Spaulding Brighton Annual Fund, c/o Spaulding Development Office, 1575 Cambridge St., Cambridge, MA. 02138.