Maurice Harvey Foisy, age 88, passed away in Bellingham, WA on January 13, 2025.
Born on May 10, 1936, Maurice grew up in the Minnehaha section of Spokane, WA and graduated from John R. Rogers High School. He met Karen at WSU, and she became the love of his life. They got married on August 31, 1956, in Spokane, had two children, Christine and Kjel, and spent 63 years together until Karen’s passing in 2020.
Maurice was the son of a coal miner and was employed in a slaughterhouse, and as a farm laborer when he was a teen. He connected to the struggle of the laborer at a very early age. This laid the foundation for his lifelong passion and commitment to the importance of education and social justice. But, amidst Maurices’ fierce participation in the labor movement, he always participated in the joy and celebration of life with good food, good drink, and good friends.
Maurice received his B.A. from Gonzaga in Spokane, WA and his M.A. from Georgetown in Washington DC. While attending Georgetown, he was also employed part time as a policeman for the Senate and a research assistant for the National Institute of Health (NIH). Maurice received his PhD from the University of Oregon in Eugene, OR. In 1970, he became a full-time professor at Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA. Maurice was president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) at Western and was a leader in the AFT both locally and nationally. As a union leader, he was a powerful advocate for protecting teachers’ rights and improving the quality of education.
Maurice’s strong commitment to equality and justice for all was ingrained in his very being. This was evident in his work with labor, human rights groups, and inside the Democratic party. He was a staunch supporter of the Rainbow Coalition. Maurice greatly admired and firmly supported Rosalinda Guillen, a powerful grass roots farm labor organizer in Washington State, who created Community to Community Development (C2C). He also took an active role in the Whatcom County Human Rights Task Force and “Jobs with Justice” advocating workers’ rights, economic justice, and fair working conditions. As a lifelong Democrat, Maurice hoped for a more kind and progressive government. He was involved in protests against wars, beginning with the Vietnam War and including the “Not in Our Names” anti-Iraq war movement.
As a professor, Maurice was devoted to teaching students critical thinking. He viewed students as peers who actively participated in the process of their own education. He utilized the best political and moral philosophy readings to develop their inquiring minds. His Political Inquiry class was extremely popular.
One of Maurice’s favorite pastimes was boating on the Salish Sea with Karen in his 25-foot cabin cruiser named Malolo. He was very adept in its restoration and maintenance. He loved salmon fishing and crabbing. Maurice also loved music, especially jazz. He was very talented at playing the clarinet and saxophone.
Maurice’s character was evident in the work he did and in his role as husband and father. He always had a very kind heart with a fierce loyalty to truth and fairness. Family was very important to Maurice, and he took a very active role with his granddaughter, Ashley, and his two great-granddaughters, Paislee Mae and Vida.
Maurice was preceded in death by his wife, Karen, his son, Kjel, and by his parents.
He is survived by his daughter, Christiane Foisy, granddaughter, Ashley Mengoni Davis (Jimmy Davis), and their daughters, Paislee Mae and Vida. He is also survived by his older brother, Don.
Maurice found great comfort in his Catholic faith and looked forward to joining his wife, Karen, and his son, Kjel. His lifelong battles for social justice were grounded in the most powerful faith imaginable, and the power of love and caring for one another. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Community to Community Development (C2C) to support farm workers’ rights and civic engagement.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, May 7th at 10:30a.m. at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Bellingham (1110 14th St), followed by a reception at the Parish Hall.
Please share memories at www.westfordfuneralhome.com.
