Severine (“Sevy”) Foisy of Claremont died Friday, May 15, 2009, at Sullivan County Health Care in Unity, NH.  Born March 11, 1916, in Mansonville, P.Q., Canada, Sevy was the 13^th of 17 children of Gregoire and Marie Louise (Choquette) Lague.  She moved to Claremont in 1922 with her family. Sevy attended St. Mary School, playing on its first women’s basketball team in 1931.  She left school to help to care for her younger brother and sisters.  While working in the card room of the Claremont Woolen Mill, she enjoyed ballroom dancing, ice skating and gardening.

She was the widow of Rudolph Foisy whom she married on October 7, 1935 and he died November 9, 1993.  Together they enjoyed hiking Green Mountain, fishing dozens of lakes, ponds and rivers in NH, hunting squirrels, growing vegetables and picking blueberries. She thoroughly enjoyed visiting relatives and hosting gatherings where card playing and athletic games were often the favorite activities. Holidays and vacations were always special times to widen the circle of family and friends.  She was an excellent seamstress, a constant recycler of cloth and materials of every sort.  She enjoyed crocheting, knitting, cooking meals and making desserts, especially her famous caramels which she generously shared with neighbors, laborers, family and friends.

A quiet and gentle woman with a deep faith in God, Sevy created an atmosphere of warmth and hospitality. She was an example of graciousness, good humor and cooperation throughout her life especially during her last years at the nursing home. 

The surviving family includes three daughters, Susan C. Bowlan, of Claremont, Sister Louise D. Foisy, RSM, of Claremont, and Annette R. Roberson, of Estero, FL; grandchildren, Donna Dubinski of Venice, FL, Marcelle R. Rousseau, of Naples, FL, Heather Bowlan, of Hillsborough, NH, Rhonda Baker, of Leesburg, GA.;  great-grandchildren, Christine Towne, of Naples, FL, Madisen Baker, and Gavin Baker, both of Leesburg, GA; one sister, M. Estelle Bruno, of Davenport, FL and twenty-one nieces and nephews.  Other close survivors include sisters-in-law, Denise Joly of Bradenton, FL; Mary Lague of Lebanon, NH and Laurette Lague of Willington, NC.

She was pre-deceased besides  her husband and parents;  her brothers and sisters, Joseph Lague 1900, M. Therese Lague 1901, Paulette Lague 1914, Maria Lague 1968, L. Antoinette Lague 1973, Louis “Simon” Lague 1974, Jeanne Lague, professed as Sr. M. Tarcisius, RAPB 1988, Ursule Lague, professed as Sr. M. Theophane, RAPB 1989, L.F. Xavier “Red” Lague 1990, Irene Denis 1990, Celine Campbell 1997, Felix Lague 1998, M. Monique Bonneau 2000, L. Marianne Gilbert 2001, and A. Pierre “Peter” Lague 2005.

Friends may call from 4 to 7 p.m., Tuesday, May 19^th, at the Stringer Funeral Home, 146 Broad St. in Claremont.

A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m., Wednesday, May 20^th in St. Mary Church with Rev. Shawn Therrien officiating.  Interment will follow in St. Mary Cemetery. 

A catered reception in celebration of Sevy’s life will be held for church members, health and hospice care workers, family and friends after the funeral at the Claremont Senior Center off Maple Avenue.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to Sisters of Mercy Northeast Community, 15 Highland View Road, Cumberland, RI 02864-1124 or to Connecticut Valley Home Care/Hospice, 958 John Stark Highway, Newport, NH 03773-2609.