Obituary for Elizabeth Swink Ballou (Foley)
CASTINE…………..Elizabeth Jane Swink (Foley) Ballou, 84, died August 22, 2022 in Belfast at Harbor Hill. She was born in Milford, Connecticut, only daughter of Joseph Farley & Honor Shannon Swink. She grew up on and in the water, spending time at Spencer's Boatyard with her grandfather, Spence, and attended Milford schools, graduating in 1956 from Milford High. She briefly attended Bay Path Junior College in Springfield MA. Returning to Milford, she began work at Yale University, New Haven, in Dr. Karl Turekian's geophysics lab as he studied Strontium 90. She remembered wearing her radiation badge, and dating young scientists.
She met her first husband, the late Mel Foley, crewing on his Star racing keelboat on Long Island Sound out of Milford Yacht Club. They married, had their first daughter Lisa, and moved to Camden Me in 1966, where they renovated a circa 1865 farmhouse, Lisa (age 3) and Elizabeth pulling down horsehair plaster. Daughter Christine was born in Camden, and the family split their time between Camden and Castine where Elizabeth's parents had restored the former Bagaduce Farm.
Elizabeth returned to the work force in the late 1970s, first at Peoples Heritage bank as a teller, and then at DownEast Enterprises, where she became a salesperson, traveling the state, supplying gift shops with books, calendars, & postcards. She married her second husband, the late Leon "Pete" Ballou in 1991, and they retired to her parents' former home in Castine, which they added onto, installing Pete's bookshop Dolphin Books & Prints. A studio upstairs is where Elizabeth matted and framed rare prints. They enjoyed traveling to book shows, to England, and to see family in New England, Florida, New York, and North Carolina.
After Pete's death, she remained fiercely independent, traveling to spend time with grandchildren in NY & NC, and was often found in her beloved gardens, or on her rider mower. She generously hosted family during the summer, loved having the house full, and was known for both her love of crabmeat and jazz, and her hatred of dandelions. She enjoyed visiting, hosting, and talking on the phone with many friends. She is survived by daughters Lisa Foley-Pellicani of Hillsborough, NC (Jeffrey Pellicani;) Christine Foley of Livingston, NJ (Paul Sperduto;) grandchildren Max Pellicani, Jack and Silas Sperduto; cousin Nancy Stock; godson, Tad Smith; and many beloved friends.
The family would like to thank the staff at Harbor Hill in Belfast, her home caregivers, and all the friends in Castine and beyond who supported us during these difficult years.
Arrangements are with the Long Funeral Home and Cremation Service, 9 Mountain Street, Camden.
She met her first husband, the late Mel Foley, crewing on his Star racing keelboat on Long Island Sound out of Milford Yacht Club. They married, had their first daughter Lisa, and moved to Camden Me in 1966, where they renovated a circa 1865 farmhouse, Lisa (age 3) and Elizabeth pulling down horsehair plaster. Daughter Christine was born in Camden, and the family split their time between Camden and Castine where Elizabeth's parents had restored the former Bagaduce Farm.
Elizabeth returned to the work force in the late 1970s, first at Peoples Heritage bank as a teller, and then at DownEast Enterprises, where she became a salesperson, traveling the state, supplying gift shops with books, calendars, & postcards. She married her second husband, the late Leon "Pete" Ballou in 1991, and they retired to her parents' former home in Castine, which they added onto, installing Pete's bookshop Dolphin Books & Prints. A studio upstairs is where Elizabeth matted and framed rare prints. They enjoyed traveling to book shows, to England, and to see family in New England, Florida, New York, and North Carolina.
After Pete's death, she remained fiercely independent, traveling to spend time with grandchildren in NY & NC, and was often found in her beloved gardens, or on her rider mower. She generously hosted family during the summer, loved having the house full, and was known for both her love of crabmeat and jazz, and her hatred of dandelions. She enjoyed visiting, hosting, and talking on the phone with many friends. She is survived by daughters Lisa Foley-Pellicani of Hillsborough, NC (Jeffrey Pellicani;) Christine Foley of Livingston, NJ (Paul Sperduto;) grandchildren Max Pellicani, Jack and Silas Sperduto; cousin Nancy Stock; godson, Tad Smith; and many beloved friends.
The family would like to thank the staff at Harbor Hill in Belfast, her home caregivers, and all the friends in Castine and beyond who supported us during these difficult years.
Arrangements are with the Long Funeral Home and Cremation Service, 9 Mountain Street, Camden.