Obituary of Columbine J. Foley

Columbine "Collie" J. Foley, 83, of Fort Atkinson, passed away on Saturday, March 6, 2010, at Fort Atkinson Memorial Hospital. Collie was born on June 30, 1926 in Steuben, WI, the eldest daughter of Truman and Mildred (Kielley ) Jacobus. In Steuben she attended grade school, and graduated from Wauzeka High School in Wauzeka, WI in 1944. In August, 1958 she married Thomas Foley. He preceded her in death in November, 1985. She attended Radio school in Minneapolis, MN and was recruited for the Military Intelligence Center at Arlington, VA, serving as a cryptographer under Presidents Roosevelt and Truman until the end of WWII. Collie attended UW-Platteville and began to teach school in Grant County in 1952, receiving her BS in teaching in 1956. She also received her Master�s degree in Library Science, during which time she taught school in Cambridge and Rockdale. She also taught at the JF Luther Junior High School in Fort Atkinson, where she served as Librarian there until her retirement in 1975. She reviewed books for five years for the DPI Library Service and volunteered for the Fort Atkinson Memorial Hospital for 15 years; she was on the Literary Council for eight years; she worked at the Fort Atkinson Senior Center and the Congregational Daily Bread program. She was an avid reader and enjoyed the many afternoons spent with friends going out to eat and playing cards at the Jefferson Senior Center. She was a strong advocate for the equality of women, Prisoners of War and Veterans of Wars. She is listed on the Women�s Memorial in Arlington, VA and the WWII Memorial in Washington, D.C.. Surviving are two sons, John �Mike� Kizaric of Madison, WI and Nick(Rhonda) Foley of Fort Atkinson; two granddaughters, Ensign Meghann Marez of San Diego, CA and Hannah Foley of Fort Atkinson; a sister, Laska Reiger of Baraboo; sister-in-laws, Madonna Groom of Steuben, WI and Betty Jacobus of Boscobel, WI; many nieces and nephews and cousins, special friends Dorothy and Carol, and many other friends who helped in her time of need. Collie was preceded in death by her parents and a brother, Russell Jacobus. Funeral Services will be held Saturday March 13, 2010, at 5:00pm at the Nitardy Funeral Home Chapel, 1008 Madison Ave., Fort Atkinson with Rev. John Wells officiating. Burial will occur at a later date in the Wauzeka Cemetery, in the Town of Wauzeka, WI. Friends may call at the funeral home on Saturday from 2pm until the time of the service. Those who knew Collie well understood her determination and her strong spirit. This is what she believed: �I am only one-I can�t do everything, but I can do something. I can do, I ought to do-and by the grace of God I will�-Edward Evert Hale �I�m proud of my dust, it shows that I have better things to do with my time�-wife of the Librarian of Congress