Patrick Thomas Foley Obituary

Patrick Thomas FOLEY (1947–2026)

Born July 17, 1947, at Casa Maria in Hamilton, Ontario, to Mary Geraldine Galvin (1922–2016) and Thomas Foley (1921–1972). Died April 1, 2026, at his residence in Cambridge, Ontario.
Pat was the oldest of five: Martin William (Patricia), Mary Anne Theresa (1951–1997) and her husband, Brian Cochrane (1950–2016), Virginia Clare (Stephen Beaumont), and Thomas Joseph.

Pat attended St. Helen’s (1953–1960), Bishop Ryan High School (1960–1965), and McMaster University (1965–1966), all in Hamilton.
After early employment as a Quality Control Inspector with Dominion Glass, as well as work as a musician, reporter with the Ancaster News, and ERS dispatcher with the Hamilton Automobile Club, he began a 22-year career in industrial construction administration with Adam Clark-Hamilton (1971–1975), SNC-Montreal (1975), and Nicholls-Radtke in Cambridge (1975–1993).
From 1994 onward, he worked as an independent consultant, property developer (notably the Deercrest Subdivision in Cambridge), and investor.

Pat travelled extensively, particularly on Caribbean cruises, and to the United Kingdom, Hawaii, Norway, Iceland, and throughout the Mediterranean.

He resided in Hamilton, Sudbury, Montreal, Brandon, and Portage la Prairie, settling in Cambridge in December 1976. He began construction of his home on Deerpath Road in 1990 and lived there until his death.
Pat was analytical, philosophical, and artistic, with wide-ranging interests and talents, and was largely self-educated. He taught himself to play the guitar and performed briefly but regularly with a repertoire of folk music. He was a voracious reader and a chronic documenter and journalist. Throughout his life, he collaborated with many good friends and associates.

He was uncle to eight nieces and one nephew, and great-uncle to seventeen.

Pat will also be fondly remembered by his close friend, Paul Solcz, whose friendship meant a great deal to him.

Over the past year, Pat and his family were grateful for the time spent together and the chance to grow closer. He will be remembered for his independent spirit, his creativity, and his enduring curiosity about the world.

In quieter moments, he and those close to him could still be found singing old songs together, moments that will be long remembered.

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson