ARLINGTON, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Arlington residents donned their face masks and stood along Massachusetts Ave on a wet Wednesday morning - while maintaining six feet of distance - to pay their respects to a retired school teacher an Air Force veteran of both the Korean and Vietnam wars.
Mary Foley, who was set to be grand marshal at the town's now-canceled Patriots Day parade, passed away on Saturday at age 93. Although she left behind no family, Foley's community came out to honor her service and celebrate her life.
The town had requested residents line the streets for Foley's funeral procession, which was escorted by Arlington police since the military suspended funeral honors amid COVID-19. State Senator Cindy Friedman was among those on Mass Ave.
Dozens of locals were seen along the sidewalks from the DeVito Funeral Home in Arlington to the Holy Cross Cemetery in Malden to say a final farewell.
"She was just a delightful, delightful woman," resident Cheryl Bosworth told WBZ NewsRadio. "She was so proud of her service to the country. We've got to do right thing. Especially for our vets, but for everybody nowadays. Because if we don't take care of each other now, we've got a really big problem in this country."
WBZ NewsRadio's Mike Macklin reports.
(Photo: @CindyFreidmanMA/Twitter)
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