SWAMPSCOTT — Dorothy Margaret (Mauriello) Foley, age 91, of Swampscott, died on Saturday, July 21, 2018, following a brief illness. She was the dearest wife of the late Dr. James J. Foley, who predeceased her in 1983. Born in Boston in 1927, she was the daughter of the late Eugene and Angelina (Caggiano) Mauriello. Dorothy grew up in Beachmont, Revere and was an honors graduate of Revere High School and a summa cum laude graduate of Salem State College. She received her graduate degrees in education and counseling summa cum laude from Boston University, where she was the Senior Graduate Assistant on the projects creating the psychological tests for the first (“Right Stuff”) astronauts and developing the first Scholastic Aptitude Test.
She taught elementary school, middle school and high school in New Hartford, New York and Revere, Massachusetts. She was a guidance counselor in Revere and later the principal of the Wolcott and Lincoln Schools. Her proudest professional achievement was writing the grant for and then serving as principal of the Garfield Magnet School in Revere. Under her leadership, the K-8 Garfield School was nationally recognized as a model for integrating a culturally diverse city. Delegations from all parts of the United States and several European and Asian countries visited the Garfield to learn how Dorothy integrated technology into the classroom, developed curricula that taught to all learning styles, and treated every student, parent and teacher with respect, kindness, dignity, integrity and a passion to help each person whose life she touched reach his or her potential.
After her retirement at age 70, she received many lifetime achievement awards from educational honor societies and universities. She was a selfless leader in alumni organizations and scholarship selection committees at SSU and BU, in educational honor societies and the Revere Retired Teachers Association. She was a devoted member of St. John the Evangelist Church in Swampscott and worked tirelessly for the Sodality and Social Committees and as a lector and lay minister. She was a town meeting member in Swampscott for many years and tried her best to preserve and nurture what was good about the town.
Dorothy had the energy and sharpness of mind of a woman half her age. She was the model of what a mother, mother-in-law, sister, grandmother, aunt and friend should be. She was especially proud of her granddaughters Erin and Jenna and counted on them to keep her abreast of pop culture. She loved to sing and dance and was talented at doing both. She loved to travel with her late husband, children, granddaughters, SSU alumni groups and her sister Edna, Dorothy traveled throughout Continental Europe and the United States. Her most recent trips were to Florida, Bermuda, Maui and London, all enjoyed in the company of family.
She was a wonderful gardener and prided herself in her beautiful beds of roses, tulips, day lilies, begonias and hydrangeas, which is why she requested that floral tributes be sent to the funeral home for her services.
Dorothy was the beloved mother of Dorothy L. Foley of Salem and James E. Foley of Lynn; devoted sister of Dr. Edna Mauriello of Swampscott and the late Frederick Mauriello and Marie Mauriello Smolinsky; adored grandmother of Erin and Jenna Foley of Lynn; cherished mother-in-law of Jacqueline Rowley Foley of Lynn and Moira Macdonald of Salem. She is also survived by her loving sister-in-law Mary Foley of Haverhill, her brother-in-law Robert Foley of Chandler, Arizona and her many nieces, nephews and grand-nieces and grand-nephews.
Service information: A Funeral Mass will be held on Thursday, July 26, 2018 in St. John the Evangelist Church, Swampscott at 10a.m. Burial will be in Holy Cross Cemetery, Malden. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend. Visiting hours will be on Wednesday at the SOLIMINE FUNERAL HOME, 67 Ocean St. (Rt.1A), Lynn, from 4 – 8 p.m. Directions and online guestbook at www.solimine.com.
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