City of Oaks Funeral Home & Cremation
Obituary
Henry Robert Foglia
Raleigh, North Carolina
Age 89.
Died 11/12/2022.
In 1933, the average American lived 61 years and earned a minimum wage of 25¢ per hour. A car cost $445, a
gallon of gas 10¢. Over 15 million people in America - or 25% of wage-earners - were unemployed. The
Plains suffered the worst drought in American History, launching the Dust Bowl and nicknaming this decade
the Dirty Thirties. The Great Depression started in 1929 and lasted until 1939. The average American family
lived by the motto: “Use it up, wear it out, make do, or do without."
At the peak of the Depression in 1933 on February 23rd , Henry “Hank” Robert Foglia was born. And 89 years
later on November 12th , 2022, he died in the loving arms of his dedicated wife, Yvonne Foglia, and their
family. Hank and Yvonne’s four children and their spouses are Donna & Rick Sink, Linda Foglia, Paul & Kelly
Foglia, Drew & Kathy Foglia. Their six grandchildren and spouses are Erik & Laura Sink, Katy & Daniel
Nolker, Jack Foglia, Joseph Foglia, Milena Foglia, and Sarah Foglia. And their four great-grandchildren are
Stetson and Savannah Sink, plus Benjamin and John David Nolker. “We are 21 people strong,” Hank would
hail. “God has been good to me. I don’t know why, but He gave them to me anyway. We are 21 strong.”
Born to Italian immigrants, Hank, the youngest of five children, was born and raised in New York City. His
father, Martin Foglia, immigrated to America from Montecorvino Rovella, Italy, earned his citizenship by
fighting in WWI, and married Josephine Zottola Foglia who had come from Spigno Saturnia, Italy. Sadly, in
1941, Martin died, leaving his wife a widow and 5 children fatherless - Hank was 8 years old. His siblings,
and particularly his brother Rudy, took on the mantle of being a substitute father. Hank was a curious boy
who liked to build his inventions and study.
He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the City College of NY, a Masters of
Science degree from Syracuse University, did post graduate work at Columbia University, and earned his
Professional Engineering license. In 1956, IBM hired Hank to work in Research and Development. Over his
35 year career with IBM, Hank was awarded 16 US Patents and made technical contributions to general
publications. He particularly contributed to the development of fiber optics and video conferencing.
But Hank was not only technical, he was comical. He gifted people with good humor, a hearty laugh, and a
friendly smile. He loved his family more than anything on earth and instilled in each of them the importance
of caring for one another patiently and giving to one another generously. Hank encouraged the timid, rooted
for the underdog, and often told the weary, “Better days are ahead.”
Come, celebrate the life of Hank Foglia and meet the family whom he loved so well: 1pm visitation, 2pm
service, Monday, November 28 th at Christ Baptist Church, 400 Newton Rd, Raleigh, NC 27615. Afterwards,
all are welcome to gather at “Hank’s House” to enjoy good food and to share some Hank stories.
In lieu of flowers, please consider honoring Hank by making donations to Christ Baptist Church
(christbaptist.org) or SIM’s Global Impact Fund (simusa.org/give) - a century-old catalyst for global missions.
For additional information or for service details, please reach out to the family directly.
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City of Oaks Cremation and Funeral Home is a full-service funeral home in Raleigh, serving all of North Carolina and beyond. We provide an alternative to costly funeral homes and every day we help families in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and all over North Carolina make simple, affordable funeral arrangements.
Simply having to reach out to a funeral home can feel overwhelming. Our goal is to simplify the entire funeral home experience and make the process as easy as possible. We hope to eliminate any unnecessary surprises by publishing our total cost and the services we provide directly on our website. All of our obituaries are provided free of charge as a way to help families celebrate and commemorate the lives of their loved ones.
Our Promise
Apples to Apples
Just like all other licensed funeral homes in North Carolina, City of Oaks Cremation, LLC is regulated by the NC Board of Funeral Service.
The same laws that apply to the big corporate funeral homes also apply to the modest independently owned firms like ours. All crematories in North Carolina, regardless of who owns them, are inspected annually by the state and must adhere to the same rules and laws.
Genuine Care
We're committed to providing families within our community unsurpassed service before, during and after the time of loss.
Our staff will provide clear communication to your family through each step as we move forward from the original phone call notifying us of a death to the time we deliver the urn back to your family. We will treat your family with the utmost respect, as we honor the wishes of your loved one.
We promise to make this process affordable and as endurable as possible.
State Wide
Our Funeral Home is located in Wake County NC; however, we provide our services to families throughout the entire State.
Unlike other funeral homes, we don't charge an additional mileage fee. Regardless of what county you live in, we can help your family with making simple, affordable funeral arrangements. From Asheville to Wilmington, we're proud to help families statewide.
Our Services
$1196.75
Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. We include everything you need for a simple or direct cremation. Simple, affordable and reliable. We have not changed the cost of our direct cremation service since we opened City of Oaks in 2012.
$2875.66
We offer the option of choosing how you receive your loved ones remains. Selecting our Direct Cremation with Solidified Remains option is a beautiful way to transform cremated remains into 40-60 “stones” that you can hold.
$1917.84
City of Oaks Funeral Home and Cremation provides an affordable cremation option with onsite visitation. Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. Simple, affordable and reliable.
$2497.50
An immediate burial has the same end result as a traditional burial; however, we have eliminated the extra (sometimes unnecessary) services prior to getting to the cemetery. Not everyone wants an open casket for viewing or a limousine for the family. Despite the term immediate, we can move as fast as you need or as slow as you like. This option simply allows you to save money by eliminating some of the fancy extras at the funeral home.
$5866.98
We offer the same traditional funeral services as the big corporately owned funeral homes in the area; however, we cost about half the amount. You might consider a traditional funeral service if your family is looking for an open casket visitation, a traditional church service or a funeral service in the funeral home's chapel. A traditional funeral service can be altered to fit the needs of your family.
$3033.75
This establishment is one of a select number of funeral homes who meet the criteria for providing green funeral service by the Green Burial Council; a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization working to encourage environmentally sustainability in the field of funeral service. Our Green options allow for a funeral to take place without the use of toxic and non-biodegradable materials/chemicals.
$2640.59
As an alternative to traditional cremation, City of Oaks Funeral Home also offers Aquamation. The Aquamation process, often referred to as alkaline hydrolysis, uses a solution of water and potassium hydroxide to facilitate natural decomposition.