Obituary of Michael Baird Foley

Suddenly at his residence on Thursday, June 20th, 2024, in his 84th year. Beloved husband of Jennie for over 32 years.

Mike born April 11, 1941, in Toronto, the only child of parents Alan Foley and Constance Hewitt. He attended Browns School and Lawrence Park Collegiate before attaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography. Mike was a Charter Member and former President of the Rotary Club of Stoney Creek. He was a life member of the Bruce Trail Association and an enthusiastic cross-country skier with the Halton Outdoor Club. He and Jennie enjoyed birdwatching and included this activity in their travels. Mike was a retired Senior Planner with the Ontario Ministry of the Environment. Before graduating from Waterloo Lutheran University, he participated in two expeditions to study geomorphology and glaciology in the 1960s. The first was on Baffin Island, where he spent months camped in tents on the Decade Glacier with other students and scientists, both Canadian and Norwegian. The second summer, he and a partner were air-lifted to the Ram River Glacier in the Rocky Mountains where his work was again on ice. Mike had a life-long fascination and love of the high Arctic, even going to Baffin Island again on a hiking trip. Mike was a member of numerous groups and enjoyed the company of others. He loved to travel, and after taking early retirement at the age of 53, he and his wife, Jennie, spent the next 25 years travelling. He enjoyed camping and included this in many extended vacations across Canada and the USA. Joining the Canadian Youth Hostel in the mid 1960s, Mike met a group of like-minded young people who formed an association fondly called ‘The Potluck Group’. These people became like family, and spent a lot of time cross-country skiing, hiking, canoeing, camping, and hosting potluck parties in one another’s homes. As children and grandchildren arrived, they were also added to the activities. Mike enjoyed the pub scene, especially in Burlington, making friends with many British ex-pats. The accents reminded him of his mother, who was from Surrey. He was an avid outdoorsman and environmentalist.

A Celebration of Mike’s Life will be held on Saturday, August 3rd, 2024, at the Donald V. Brown Funeral Home, 36 Lake Avenue Drive, Stoney Creek, commencing at 12:30 pm, followed by a service at 1:30 pm.