Edna Marie (McManus) Fogarty died peacefully Sunday, November 25, 2018 at her home in Rockford, Michigan with her husband, John, and her five children at her bedside. She died the way she lived, privately, but surrounded and aware of those she loved, and without fuss or drama.
Edna was born to Edwin W. and Emma Reeves McManus on April 20, 1931 in Fort Pierce, Florida, two years after her brother, Harry. The family relocated back to Greensboro, North Carolina, where Edna and her brother were raised. She was predeceased by her parents and her brother.
Edna went to college at University of North Carolina and graduated with a degree in dietetics. She met John Fogarty as she was finishing a post-graduate year at Medical College of Virginia. They were married in 1955 in Richmond, VA and moved to Yonkers, NY where, in 1956, they welcomed their first child, Julia Teresa. In 1957, they moved to Colorado Springs, CO where John taught History and Edna worked as a hospital dietitian. Over their eight years living in Colorado, they had three more daughters, Catherine Remi, Susan Shelagh, and Patricia Ann. They moved to Big Rapids, MI in 1967 when John was hired as Associate Professor of English at Ferris State University. Edna worked at Reed City Hospital as Director of Dietary Services. In Big Rapids, they welcomed their son, Stephan Patrick, in 1971. They lived there and raised their children to adulthood before retiring and moving to Rockford, MI where they entertained friends, saw plays, enjoyed concerts, and traveled. In all, they enjoyed 63 years of marriage, making their successful partnership look easy.
Edna is survived by her husband, John Joseph Fogarty, her children Julia Teresa Fogarty (Skip Renker) of Midland, MI, Catherine Remi (Dale) Birch of Monument, CO, Susan Shelagh Fogarty (Brad Arnold) of Midland, MI, Patricia Fogarty (Thomas) Ezdebski of Ludington, MI, and Stephan Patrick (Tara) Fogarty of Newaygo, MI; her grandchildren Remi Birch (Jeremy) Hittle of Colorado Springs, CO, Kristen Leigh (Justin) Cozart, of Monument, CO, Nicholas Lee Fogarty of New York, NY, Anna Beatrice (Tell) Carle of Comstock Park, MI, Leah Remi Cutler and Samuel David Cutler of Ludington, MI, Noah Joseph Fogarty and Luke Matthew Fogarty of Newaygo, MI; and two great-grandchildren from Colorado.
Edna was one of those rare humans, graced with intelligence, self-awareness and clarity of purpose, who knew her voice and how to use it and championed those who are too often silenced: children, animals, the poor, and people in the margins. Money and possessions meant little to her. Kindness was everything, and she practiced and taught it to all she knew. She had an extraordinary capacity for unconditional love and a rare ability to parent with both discipline and respect. We will miss her warmth, her smart sense of irony, and above all her unwavering love. Now, we take it forward.