John Foster
Funeral services will be held for John D. Foster, 93, at 10 a.m. today (Thursday) at Thomas Methodist Church.
Mr. Foster died Saturday, Nov. 7, 2015, at his home in Thomas.
He was born in Putnam to Pierce and Dwight (Graft) Foster, and was the oldest of four children.
He attended the Independence School and graduated as valedictorian in 1940. He enjoyed participating in many different sports but his favorite was baseball.
A lifelong outdoorsman, he started hunting when his father gave him what he described as “an old Belgian-made shotgun” when he was still a teenager. While 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.
Foster 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 at Ipswich, England.
Prior to his departure for the European theatre, he was married to Alma (Graybill) Foster on Nov. 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 14 years with his son, Cary Foster.
He was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Charley Foster; 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.
Survivors include his wife, Alma (Graybill) Foster of the home; his daughter, Bonnie Garner Vanderwork and her husband, Mickey, of Weatherford; and by his son, Cary Foster of Atlanta, Ga. 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.
Services will be officiated by Rev. Larry Harlan and Rev. Kip Heatley. Interment will follow at Mound Valley Cemetery in Thomas, under the direction of Lockstone Funeral Home.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Thomas United Methodist Church, 216 East Kansas St., Thomas, OK 73669.