Mary Lou D. Foran

Mary Lou (Della Ripa) Foran, age 79, of Berlin CT, left the cares of this world behind on Friday, Dec 11, 2020. She died at UConn John Dempsey Hospital from the ravages of this horrible Covid pandemic. This was a tragic end for a gracious lady who spread kindness and friendship wherever she went.

Mary Lou was born Nov 21, 1941 in Hartford CT, the daughter of Louis and Mary (Aszklar) Della Ripa. She grew up in the south-end of Hartford, graduated from Holy Trinity High School, Hartford and began a long and varied career of office administration including stints at the Hilton Hotel in Hartford, Suburban Gal Clothing in West Hartford, and Hartney Chiropractic in Berlin, where she was the office manager.

She married Richard J. Foran on Nov 28, 1964, and in their 56 years together they gathered friends from school, work, neighborhood, and of course relatives, whom she and Richard hosted at their numerous gatherings at their Berlin home. She was the auxiliary “mom” to her children’s friends; all were welcome in her home. If you had the privilege of meeting Mary Lou and being counted among her friends, you were her friend for life. She hosted all the family celebrations, cooking up Polish and Italian dishes. She was the hub of her extended “family”; she was happiest when surrounded by those she loved.

Mary Lou leaves behind her sister and best friend, Christine Della Ripa of West Hartford, CT; husband Richard; their three children: Christopher Foran and his wife Cory of New Britain, CT; Jeffrey Foran and his wife Debra of Coventry, CT, Jennifer Casey and her husband Sean of Patterson, NY; her 6 grandchildren: Brandon, Dylan, Justin, Jocelyn, Jianna, and Jack. She also leaves her extended family in Germany: daughter Janet Schillinger and her husband Hermann; grandchildren: Tatjana, Florian, and Selina; and great-grandchildren: Cathy-Betty, Denise, John-Thomas, and Judy-Diane. She leaves her sister-in-law Kathleen Foran and brothers-in-law, Peter Foran and Paul Foran. She also leaves her aunt Helen Kycia and numerous cousins, especially Caroline Pakenas, Karen Grow and Ellie Gaspic - who with Mary Lou and Christine were lifelong members of the Cousins Club.

The family wishes to thank the wonderful staff at UConn John Dempsey Hospital. The ICU staff went above and beyond our expectations and we will be forever grateful for their kindness and compassion in the month-long battle to try to save Mary Lou. A special word of thanks to all the doctors and nurses (especially Kevin, Jancy, Julie and Stephen) for their care, concern and support.

Funeral arrangements are in the charge of Erickson-Hansen Funeral Home, 111 Chamberlain Highway, Berlin, CT. On Friday Dec 18th, there will be viewing and a brief prayer from 11 am to 1 pm at the funeral home, followed by a 2 pm graveside service at Mount Saint Benedict Cemetery, 1 Cottage Grove Road, Bloomfield CT, where she will be buried with her parents, in Section M-Ext, Grave N39. Guests at both the funeral home and cemetery are required to wear masks and maintain social distance. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Connecticut Humane Society or a charity of your choice.