Bataan Death March and Japanese Prisoner of War survivor and former New Mexico State Representative Thomas P. Foy, Sr., age 96 of Bayard, New Mexico, passed away peacefully on October 8, 2011 at the family home. Thomas P. Foy, or “Tommy” as he was affectionately called by his friends, was preceded in death by his wife Joan, his son Tom Foy, Jr., and his sister Rosemary Stewart. He is survived by his children, Celia Foy Castillo, Chief Judge NM Court of Appeals, and her husband Alvino of Santa Fe, NM; Muffet Foy Cuddy of Santa Fe, NM; Carney Foy and his wife Creta of Silver City, NM; Jim Foy and his wife Valvina of Silver City, NM; and daughter- in-law Suzanne Jollensten of Albuquerque, NM. Tommy is survived by his grandchildren Celita Foy Castillo of Santa Fe, NM; Felisa Castillo Boatwright and her husband Clark of Los Lunas, NM; Loren Suzanne Jollensten Foy of Santa Fe, NM; Erin Foy Cuddy of Albuquerque, NM; Reese Foy Cuddy of Albuquerque, NM; Carston B. Foy of Amarillo, TX; Caytlyn C. Foy of Dallas, TX; Valerie Horton of Albuquerque, NM; and John Horton and his companion Marrysa Gerardo of Albuquerque, NM. Tommy also has two great grandchildren Eleanor Boatwright and Jonathan Horton. He is also survived by one sister Winfred Momsen of Bayard, New Mexico and one brother J. Franey Foy of Boulder City, Nevada.
“Get a good education, work hard, have a good moral compass to guide you, and serve your fellow man. Accept responsibility for the good that you do as well as the mistakes that you make. Enjoy Life.” These are the words Tommy lived by and the philosophy he instilled in his children and grandchildren. Tommy was a man of honor and integrity who lived his life to the fullest and always had a smile on his face.
Tommy received a Bachelor of Science in Commerce and a Juris Doctorate from Notre Dame in 1937 and 1939 respectively. In 2004, as a result of his lifetime of achievements, Tommy received a Doctor of Humane Letters from Western New Mexico University.
In 1940, Tommy joined the 200th Coast Artillery Battery of the New Mexico National Guard. He was assigned to the Philippines in 1941 and captured by the Japanese in April 1942. He survived the Bataan Death March and was a prisoner of war until 1945. Tommy was honorably discharged from the army on October 14, 1946. He received the decorated Bronze Star, Purple Heart, the Asian Pacific Ribbon and the New Mexico Distinguished Service Medal. Tommy also received an outstanding service award from the Disabled American Veterans.
After returning from the Philippines, Tommy opened his law practice in Bayard in 1946. In 1948 Tommy married the love of his life, Joan Carney. They made their home in Bayard where they raised their five children: Celia, Tom Jr., Muffet, Carney, and Jim.
Tommy served as the Sixth Judicial District Attorney from 1949-1956. After serving as district attorney, he returned to the private practice of law in 1957 and served as a board member and then vice-president of the New Mexico Board of Bar Commissioners. Tommy was a member of the New Mexico Bar Association for 70 years and received numerous awards, including the Outstanding Service Award in 1973. In 1987 he received the Distinguished Service of Laws Award and was appointed as a National Commissioner from New Mexico on the Uniform State Laws Commission. He received New Mexico Trial Lawyers award of achievement in 1993 and the Lifetime Legislative Achievement Award in 2006.
Tommy was elected to the New Mexico House of Representatives from Grant and Hidalgo counties. He represented District 39 for 14 terms from 1970-1998. As a representative Tommy chaired the enrolling and engrossing committee, the judiciary committee, the corporations and banks committee, and the interim committees on equal rights and courts and criminal justice. He also served on the taxation and revenue committee, the labor committee, and the agriculture committee. Part of his legislative legacy includes the designation of millions of dollars in Grant and Hidalgo counties for local public infrastructure such as the veterans' nursing center in T or C, the New Mexico veterans' housing at Ft. Bayard Medical Center, the Bataan Veterans' Park in Santa Clara, the Santa Clara Municipal Building, the Bayard Municipal and Police and Fire Buildings, and improvements to Western New Mexico University. Tommy, with Joan's encouragement, was also instrumental in passing enabling legislation for a referendum on the New Mexico Equal Rights Amendment for Women.
Tommy was dedicated to God, family, country, community and the law. He was a communicant of the Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church, a member of the Knights of Columbus and the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher. He was one of the founders of the Grant County State Bank, having served on the board of directors for decades and serving as chairman of the board for 14 years. The bank became Sunwest Bank and is now a branch of Bank of America. The Grant County State Bank was started in order to give ordinary folks access to loans and capital to purchase homes, cars and businesses. He was integral to the development of Bayard, New Mexico and the Cobre Consolidated School District. In 1965, the Silver City-Grant County Chamber of Commerce named Tommy “Citizen of the Year.” An active member of the Bayard Lions Club, Tommy received a Lion's Club Service Award for over 70 years of service and served as a past district governor for Lions in southern New Mexico. He was a member of Silver City Moose Lodge #1718 and a life member of the Silver City Elks Lodge.
Public visitation is Thursday, October 13, from 6:00-7:00 PM followed by the Rosary at Baca's Funeral Chapel at Highway 180 and Delk Drive in Silver City. The Mass of the Resurrection is scheduled for Friday, October 14, at 10 AM at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church at 340 Mayo in Bayard followed by burial at Fort Bayard National Cemetery. Pall bearers are Dennis Healy, John Horton, Dr. John Lundy, David Momsen, Peter Momsen and Tom Stewart.
In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to the Thomas P. Foy Scholarship Fund, P. O. Box 266, Bayard, New Mexico, 88023.