Patricia Ann Foulke

Foulke, Patricia Ann (Nelson) of Friendship Village in Bloomington passed away peacefully on February 20, 2021 at age 89. Born to Denise and A. Herbert Nelson on July 16, 1931, Patty was raised on Linden Hills Blvd between Lake Harriet and Lake Calhoun and spent many of her summers at a cottage on Big Sandy Lake - all part of a watery pattern that would mark the rest of her life. After Southwest High School she went to the University of Minnesota, graduating with a BS in Education in 1953. In April of 1950 Patty met her future husband, Robert (Bud) Foulke, on a blind date. That led to an erratic courtship, in person during vacations and by a flow of letters between Minnesota and Princeton during the academic year, and then Japan when he was sent to a landing boat unit during the Korean War. His transfer to the Naval Academy led to a proposal, a Minneapolis wedding in late December 1953, and a skiing honeymoon at Mount Tremblant in Canada. When they returned to Minnesota, lakes became one source of shared outdoor activity - racing sailboats and paddling the boundary waters in the summer, iceboating and skate sailing in the winter. Patty entered all these activities with gusto, learning how to set and douse spinnakers on the bouncing foredeck of a sailboat, enduring long portages with a heavy pack on her back, dodging pressure cracks on ice. Patty's teaching career in grades 1, 3 and 4 provided support as Bud began a Ph.D. regimen in English language and literature at the University of Minnesota. Seven years later they moved to the East and switched roles. With a degree in hand, Bud began teaching at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut and they settled into a house on a small lake east of the city. During much of this decade Patty stayed home to care for an infant son, David, and an infant daughter, Carolyn, three years later, and took courses at Trinity leading to an M.A. in history. When it was determined that Carolyn's intellectual development was limited, Patty spent a great deal of time working with her and devoted most of her teaching to special education. After nearly a decade in Connecticut, one more big move brought Patty and Bud into the lakes and mountains of the Adirondacks. He became Chairman of the Skidmore College English Department in Saratoga Springs, New York. They built a house overlooking Lake George, a deep, clear body of water 32 miles long surrounded by mountains. It would be their home for more than four decades. Patty melded into the community during these years, joining an active church, leading various women's groups, and helping efforts to preserve the lake. They also adopted a third child at age 9, Deborah, who had been bounced around through her years and turned out to be difficult but brilliant. The pattern of working together surfaced again when Patty and Bud retired from teaching. She left first and drifted into a group of friends who were writing about their travels for publication. Then they wrote a book together about camping in Europe, Europe under Canvas. Several years later Bud retired early to tag along and a 35-year second career under the byline "Patricia and Robert Foulke" was underway. What started as a part-time venture soon became full time, with several trips each month and weekly article deadlines to meet. Together they wrote 15 travel books and more than a thousand articles, many of them emphasizing the history of places. Patty is survived by her loving husband of 67 years, Robert (Bud) Foulke: two of her three children, David (Lynn) and Carolyn; (Deborah is deceased); three grandchildren, Brianna, Robert, and Lauren; one great grandchild, Malachi; sister Judy Ellingson; half sisters and brothers Catherine Feste (Dale), Skip Nelson (Susan), and Wendell Peterson; son-in-law, Fred Waldbillig (Trudy). A memorial service will be held in the Lakewood Cemetery Chapel during the late spring or summer when pandemic restrictions are eased. Memorials may be sent to the P.E.O. Foundation, 3700 Grand Ave., Des Moines IA 50312 or the University of Minnesota Foundation, 200 Oak St., Suite 500, Minneapolis, MN 55455-2010. Washburn-McReavy.com Edina Chapel 952-920-3996

Tributes

Patricia Ann Foulke

July 16, 1931 - February 20, 2021

Tributes

Patricia Ann Foulke

July 16, 1931 - February 20, 2021

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