Janice "Jan" R. Foley

Jan was born in Chicago, Illinois on February 4, 1959 to Dorothy Salonen-Pakonen and Rudolph (Rudy) Pakonen and lived in several different Midwest towns in her childhood. She most fondly revered her time growing up in Elyria, Ohio. She also embraced her high school years as the “midwest Blonde” on Long Island, New York and “dah-ling, let me tell ya” she loved giving her best New York accent for that phase of her life and beyond.

Jan attended Mount Vernon College in Washington, DC where she met some of her dearest friends and started the rest of her life as a Washingtonian. Jan met the love of her life, Rich Foley, at a rainy rugby match in 1985. They wed on an unusually snowy Friday the 13th, in November of 1987. They traveled to many places, frequently visiting her grandmother in the Upper Peninsula (U.P.) of Michigan and even got stuck in a governmental coup d’etat in Venezuela. They welcomed their only daughter, Paige Alexis Foley in 1994.

Jan worked at Army Mutual and Alexandria Pastry shop for many years but her favorite role was being an incredible mom. She was actively involved in Grace Episcopal, Browne Academy and Bishop Ireton High School’s parent organizations. Jan was also President of the national capital region’s chapter of the Finlandia Foundation. Jan loved her Finnish heritage and there wasn’t a friend in her life that she did not invite up to her sauna in the U.P.

Jan was preceded in death by her mother Dorothy Pakonen, father Rudy Pakonen, brother Michael A. Pakonen, and brother in-law Mark J. Rasmussen and many other loving family members and cousin. She is survived by her husband, Richard Foley, daughter Paige Foley Marrin, son in-law David Dixon Marrin, Jr., grandson’s William Rucker and Harry Thomas, sister Andrea Pakonen Rasmussen and brother Douglas Pakonen.

A memorial service is planned for 1 pm at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Alexandria, Virginia on Friday, January 2, 2026 with a celebration of life to follow.