Growing up the youngest of seven children in Riverdale, Brian Foley’s dream was to be a police officer.
And for the 10 years he was in law enforcement, the man known as a gentle giant and called “the dancing bear” for his size and spirit would tell family and friends, “I’m living every child’s dream.”
Mr. Foley, 35, died of complications from a brain tumor in his Chicago Heights home on Tuesday, Jan. 29.
Mr. Foley was the kind of officer who was loyal to the police family, who loved a good chase and preferred walking the streets to sitting at a desk. Mr. Foley worked for the Blue Island, Posen and Chicago Heights departments before retiring because of illness.
“He loved a good chase … he always wanted to get the bad guys,” said his wife, Melissa.
The Foleys drew the attention of nearby community members who learned of Mr. Foley’s illness a few years ago. Angels on Assignment, a group of civic and business leaders, organized and paid for a day on the town in Chicago. At the time, Mr. Foley said, “I don’t even know any of these people … yet they have been so wonderful. Today is such a beautiful gift.”
Mr. Foley saw each day as a gift. “If you needed $10 and he had only $11, he’d give it to you,” his wife said.
It’s how he was on the job too, said J.P. Roe, a family friend and Evanston police officer.
“He took the job because he wanted to help people,” said Roe, remembering a recent conversation in which Mr. Foley said he wanted to do something for the families of police officers and firefighters killed in the Sept. 11 attacks. “I was amazed at how a man who knows he’s going to leave this place could have the courage to be more concerned for people he doesn’t even know.”
And while serious about work, Mr. Foley also had a fun side. “Maybe it’s because he was the youngest. But he was always entertaining,” his sister said.
Mr. Foley was in the Navy for four years and followed two brothers into law enforcement.
He met his wife through a co-worker in Posen. He checked her record, then asked her out.
“We would sit on the most horrible kitchen chairs in my house and talk for hours,” his wife said. “I knew I loved him right away.”
Other survivors include three daughters, Erin, Brianna and Elizabeth; his mother, Marilyn; four brothers, John, Dan, Mike and Tim; and another sister, Maureen.
Services have been held.
