Anne Foulke

Foulke—Anne Foulke, 90, on June 1, 2016, peacefully, in her sleep at Maria Joseph Continuing Care Community in Danville, Pa. Anne, whose Quaker ancestors can be traced to seventeenth-century Wales, was born on April 30, 1926, at Osteopathic Hospital in Philadelphia, Pa., to Eliza Ambler and Thomas Foulke. After graduating from Ambler High School, she attended Blackstone Junior College, studied nursing in Philadelphia, and volunteered for two summers in Mexican workcamps with American Friends Service Committee. She worked as a nursing assistant at Norristown Hospital in Norristown, Pa., and married Robert Solenberger in 1951, accompanying him to Saipan, Mariana Islands, where their first son was born.

When they returned to the United States, Anne and her family lived in Virginia for a time and then moved near Lansdale, Pa., welcoming a second son. In 1960, they moved to Bloomsburg, Pa., where she was active in the community and in Millville (Pa.) Meeting. She spent many years visiting prisoners, led Cub and Boy Scouts, served on the local Mental Health Association, and helped start Bloomsburg YMCA and Habitat for Humanity chapters. In 2002, she was honored with an Outstanding Woman Award for her dedicated service to the community. She also ardently supported her sons’ school sports.

For nine years, she was a caretaker and companion to Neita Kimmel, a quadriplegic mouth artist, traveling extensively with her, including to Hawaii and the Caribbean. A lifelong Friend, Anne spent her life dedicated to her Quaker faith and heritage. She moved into the Meadows of Maria Joseph Continuing Care Community in 1996, where she was active in the Kitchen Band and the Recycled Teenagers and often transported and helped friends in need. Surviving are her sons, Edwin Solenberger (Angela) and Thomas Solenberger (Madeline); four grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.