Patrick and Eileen Fogarty Legacy Fund is a donor advised endowed fund established by their daughter.
My parents, Pat and Eileen Fogarty, moved to La Plata in 2007 to be near me and their two grandchildren. My mother had a series of health problems and it made sense for them to be close by. Moving to a new place late in life can be difficult, but many in the community made it easy. My mother quickly connected with the Sisters at Heart breast cancer support group and my father connected with so many people thanks to his outgoing personality.
Both of my parents were children of Irish immigrants, and were both born and raised in New York City. My mother was a nurse and my father had several incarnations of a career including running his own delivery service between JFK airport and Manhattan. Unfortunately, the fax machine put him out of business. They both worked hard and saved a lot of money for travel. They traveled the world, taking many cruises and trips to Europe, the Soviet Union, the South Pacific, and throughout the United States.
They retired to Charlottesville, Va., in 1995, where they enjoyed 12 wonderful years. They made friends, threw parties and volunteered in various ways. My mother was very active with the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, having been diagnosed with cancer five times beginning with Hodgkin’s lymphoma when she was 23 years old. My father enjoyed hanging out on Charlottesville’s downtown pedestrian mall, meeting new people and engaging in conversation.
My mother passed away late in 2012 and is remembered by those who knew her for her courageous strength in the face of far too much health-related adversity. My father passed away in 2015 and is remembered for his intellect, quick wit and love of life. As their only child, I wanted to find a way to keep their memories alive and what better way than to create a legacy fund that will benefit the community that warmly welcomed them.