Obituary

Obituary for John D. Foster, Thomas, Oklahoma 1921-2015

John D. Foster, age 93, died on November 7, 2015 at his home in Thomas, Oklahoma.

He was born in Putnam, Oklahoma, to Pierce and Dwight (Graft) Foster and was the oldest of four children.

He attended school at the Independence School, graduating as Valedictorian in 1940.

He enjoyed participating in many different sports although his favorite was baseball.

He was a lifelong outdoorsman, as he started hunting when his father gave him what he described as “an old Belgian made shotgun” when he was still a teenager. When he was still in school, his grandfather Graft paid him for a summer’s work on the farm and ranch with a Winchester .22 caliber slide action rifle that he kept for the remainder of his life. He also loved the various canine companions that he kept over the years, including his last one, Rosie the Chinese pug.

He attended what is now Southwestern Oklahoma State University, and then joined the Army Air Corps, leaving in 1943 for service overseas in the Eighth Air Force, primarily in Ipswich, England. Prior to his departure for the European theater, he was married to Alma (Graybill) Foster on November 17, 1943. At the conclusion of World War II, he returned to Custer County where he spent the remainder of his life, farming and operating a building construction business, including fourteen years with his son Cary Foster.

John D. was preceded in death by his parents, brother Charley Foster, and sisters Betty Jo Cornelius and Margie Brown and son-in-law Gerald Garner. He will be remembered as a faithful member of the Thomas United Methodist Church, a loving and supportive father and grandfather, and one who cherished the time that he spent, particularly outdoors, with his extended family and friends.

He is survived by his wife, Alma (Graybill) Foster, his daughter Bonnie Garner Vanderwork and her husband Mickey Vanderwork of Weatherford, Oklahoma, and by his son Cary Foster of Atlanta, Georgia. Other survivors include his grandson David Garner and his wife Michelle (Haggard) Garner, and son Warren of Anchorage, Alaska, as well as a host of nieces, nephews, and other family members.

Funeral services will be held on Thursday, November 12, 2015, at 10 a.m. at Thomas United Methodist Church, with Reverend Larry Harlan and Reverend Kip Heatley officiating. Burial will follow at Mound Valley Cemetery in Thomas.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Thomas United Methodist Church, 216 East Kansas Street, Thomas, Oklahoma 73669.