Obituary of Glen Alexander Foster

Glen Alex Foster, 76, of rural Colfax, went home to be with his Lord Saturday, April 2, 2011. A funeral service will be Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. at Community Heights Alliance Church in Newton with the Rev. Cory Stout and the Rev. Judy Wadding officiating. Visitation with the family will be Tuesday from 5 to 7 p.m. at Pence-Reese Funeral Home in Newton. Burial will follow at Palo Alto Cemetery, rural Newton. In lieu of flowers, memorials in his name are being designated to Community Heights Alliance Church. The son of Duward A. and Sylvia (McClead) Foster, he was born Sept. 16, 1934, in Albia. He attended schools in Albia and later, Des Moines, where he met Dorothy June Swigart. They married Sept. 14, 1951, in Oskaloosa and moved to rural Colfax in 1958. Glen was employed as a die setter for the Maytag Company, where he retired in 1989 after 30 years of service. While working at Maytag, he also enjoyed field work and raising livestock. In 1973, he and his wife bought property in Galesburg, where they lived for 28 years. While in Galesburg, they built a home next door for his mother and later built a new home on the property for themselves. Together they raised five sons and three daughters. In 2001, they moved back to the farm. Because he and Dorothy enjoyed fishing, he built two ponds on the property. They spent many hours together fishing and fellowshipping with family and enjoying the view from their front porch. During an ice storm in the winter of 2010, a generator caught fire and burned their home and belongings. Undeterred by the tragedy, they had another new home built in the same spot so that they could enjoy their little piece of heaven on earth. Glen enjoyed spending time with his family, hunting, fishing, working outdoors and giving his dog Griz rides on his four-wheeler. He was a member of Community Heights Alliance Church, UAW Local 997 and Sully Coop. Saturday evening, April 2, 2011, while watching a favorite country music program with his dog curled up at his feet and his wife by his side, his battle with cancer ended. Survivors include his wife, Dorothy; sons, Richard Foster of Oklahoma, Mike (Elsie) Foster of Monroe, Steven (Rhonda) Foster of Newton, Glen (Katreena) Foster of rural Colfax and John (Teresa) Foster of rural Colfax; daughters, Dianna (Jim) White of Galesburg, Brenda (Steve) Long of rural Colfax and Tammy (Jeff) Conner of Pleasant Hill; 26 grandchildren; and 19 great-grandchildren. He also is survived by brothers, Andrew Foster of Oskaloosa and Bill Foster of Des Moines; sisters, Jenny Daughtery of Texas, Violet Gebhart of Centerville and Joyce Kelderman of Oskaloosa; and many nieces, nephews and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents; a sister, Carol Masterson; and three brothers, Bob, Charles and Duane. Visitation with the family will be from 5 - 7pm at Pence ~ Reese Funeral Home, 310 N. 2nd Ave. E., Newton, IA. The funeral will be Wednesday at 10:30 at Community Heights Alliance Church, 2500 S. 13th Ave. E., Newton with Pastor John Patterson officiating. Burial will be in Palo Alto Cemetery, Newton .