Loretta Wanda Foley, nee Hiergeist, died on September 8, 2020, at her home in Bowie, MD, with her sons Dennis and David Foley by her side. She was born September 14, 1929, in Pittsburgh, PA to Antonia Vogel and Franz Xaver Hiergeist.
Raised in Pittsburgh, Loretta graduated from Saint Mary's High school in 1947. She was married to Joseph John Foley on February 4, 1950, and is survived by her children, John Francis Foley, Patricia Jean Foley, Janet Rose Foley (Jordan Kocen), Dennis Michael Foley and David Martin Foley, her grandchildren Kristin Elizabeth Hughes (Adam Cooper), Asher Xaver Kocen, and Aubrey Rose Kocen and her great grandchild Owen Russell Cooper. She is also survived by her siblings Franz Xaver Hiergeist (Judy) and Mady Hiergeist Green (Donald).
She was preceded in death by Joseph, her husband of 60 years, and her beloved daughter Barbara Foley Hughes.
Loretta moved with her husband from Pittsburgh to Las Animas, CO in 1966 and then to Bowie, where she resided for the last 53 years. She put off her own college ambitions to raise a family and her greatest joy was to see all six of her children obtain college degrees and successful careers. She returned to the workforce while raising her children and worked for the City of Bowie as an election supervisor and Assistant City Clerk before retiring. With her husband, they then toured the world one cruise at a time, visiting multiple countries and parts of the United States. She pursued college classes on her own at night, studied court reporting, and was an avid gardener, and accomplished knitter, quilter and seamstress. She won a grand prize in a Maryland quilt show for her quilt which depicted the history of the city of Bowie. She instilled in her family a love of Pirates baseball and Steelers football and in her grandchildren a love of bingo. She was happiest surrounded by the company of her family, her children and her grandchildren.
A private Catholic funeral mass was held for immediate family at Sacred Heart Church in Bowie. Internment will take place at Christ Our Redeemer Catholic Cemetery in Pittsburgh.
In lieu of flowers, donation in her memory may be made to the Parkinson's Foundation or The ALS Association.
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