Mary Francine (Foley) Sahlas of Medford, formerly of Somerville, died peacefully at Tufts Medical Center on October 20, 2026. She was 89.
She was born in Boston, the eldest of the six children of Daniel W. “Bill” Foley and Mary (Bannon) Foley of Somerville, grew up in Somerville, attended Saint Ann’s School and graduated from St. John’s School in Cambridge. In 1957 she married Charles Sahlas Sr. of Cambridge, and they raised four children in Somerville. Their friends called her “Mom”; the family called her “the General” when something needed taking charge of. She worked at Legal Sea Foods in Inman Square and at Polaroid in Cambridge before starting her own business, Time Savers, serving business professionals.
She leaves her children and their families; seven grandchildren, Alexandra Sahlas, Phoebe and Jack Sahlas, and Nicholas, Samantha and Matthew Sahlas; two great-granddaughters, Senna and Payson; her youngest sister, Nancy Lynch of Somerville; her nephew Joseph, whom she loved as a son; and many nieces, nephews and friends. Her granddaughter Mary Frances “Franki” Sahlas, her siblings Isabel H. Shea, Phyllis R. Foley, Daniel W. Foley III and Richard G. Foley, and her brother-in-law Robert Scioletti Sr. died before her.
Calling hours are Monday, November 2 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the George L. Doherty Funeral Home, 855 Broadway, Powder House Square, Somerville, with a prayer service there at 12:30. Burial at Oak Grove Cemetery in Medford is private. The family suggests donations to Susan G. Komen or the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
Compiled from information published by George L Doherty Funeral Service, Inc. Photograph courtesy of the family via George L Doherty Funeral Service, Inc. This is our own summary, not the family’s obituary; read the full obituary and leave a condolence at the funeral home’s page on Legacy.com. Corrections: we will fix any error promptly.
