One day she is Cleopatra leading a processional in front of the Ramses II Exhibit at the Museum of Science in Boston, another day she is the snake handler at the same museum, wowing crowds with the reptiles casually curled around her arm. Bunny Foilb, a woman of countless facets passed away on Monday, April 8, 2013.
She could be spotted at the top of the 200,000-gallon tank at the N.E. Aquarium in Boston, expertly lecturing about every animal in the tank and, to her amusement, being mistaken for a Marine Biologist. You could find her at Franklin Park Zoo demonstrating a variety of animals to a charmed public. Bunny was everywhere at once, it seemed. Turn on the television and you might see her on the Newton Local Access Station, Continental Cablevision at the time, hosting her own show “Senior Focus,” where she would interview anyone from a restaurant owner to a flirty comedic star.
One might call Bunny our very own “Auntie Mame”; a seasoned world traveler, Bunny rode the camels of Egypt across a land filled with pyramids. Having mastered the interpretation of Hieroglyphics, a ride down the Nile was not beyond her reach. Bunny triumphantly stood on the Great Wall of China – a lifelong dream So important was the China trip that Bunny learned to speak Chinese before her journey. In fact she let nothing stop her from exploring the world that she made her own. In Israel as a tourist, Bunny performed with a local band; the next day when a group of tourists spotted her at Jerusalem’s Wailing Wall they left their tour guide and came running over to Bunny for pictures and autographs.
A seasoned performer, Bunny was a staple figure with the band 4 Guys in Tuxes at such venues as Revere Beach where she entertained her devoted followers with her singing, dancing, maracas and always-present tambourine. Stick around long enough and she might treat you to a performance with her baton twirling. On the sand, Bunny was a force to be reckoned with when it came to Sand Sculpture. Easily winning awards with her unique mermaid sand sculptures, pictures of her artistry would be the subject of many flashing cameras.
Back on dry land, Bunny began her career as a designing fire and engine rooms in the Charlestown Naval Shipyard. Bunny went on to use her artistic talent with pen, paint and ink with her Portraitique business where she would draw commissioned portraits that more often than not would end up in the front window of local banks.
Here is a woman whose life was so incredibly interesting that she was hired by local groups just to tell her life story!
Bunny was a celebrity wherever she went. A cruise was created in her honor and included such illuminaries as Fred MacMurray, June Haver, George Murphy, Frankie Laine, and Esther Williams. Amidst these shining stars Bunny easily held her own in the on-board talent contests and was heartily congratulated by these Hollywood legends.
Those of you who remember the Totem Pole Ballroom in Auburndale so many years ago might remember a beautiful raven-haired woman smiling, singing and playing maracas. Yes, that was Bunny too as she performed with her future husband, trumpeter Samuel Foilb in the beloved Baron Hugo Orchestra. A glorious past in a golden time was hers and she moved with the times without missing a beat. Bunny Foilb. Boston lights are a bit dimmer without the glow of your effervescence and personality. Bunny you will be missed by many. Wherever you are, I am sure you are having a ball.
“Bunny” entered into rest on Monday, April 8, 2013 in Saugus, MA. Originally from Chestnut Hill, MA, Bunny was pre-deceased by her husband, Draftsman and Musician Samuel Foilb, her brother Stanley Pitchel and her parents Maurice and Ida Pitchel. She leaves beloved daughters Sharon (Foilb) Sweet of Bristol, CT and Marcia Foilb and husband, Isaac Kot of Burlington, MA and many nieces and nephews. Services will be held at Stanetsky Memorial Chapel, 1668 Beacon St., Brookline, on Sunday, April 14, at 10:00 A.M. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the animal rescue of your choice or to Majestic Waterfowl Sanctuary, 17 Barker Road, Lebanon, CT 06249, www.majesticwaterfowl.org, in keeping with Bunny’s lifetime devotion to all kinds of animals.
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