Joseph Francis Foster was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on June 26, 1923 the son of John and Stella (Warburton) Foster. He grew up in St. Paul and attended school there. He enlisted in the United States Navy in 1942 and served until 1946. He was a Shipfitter and served in the Great Lakes Navy Base spending time on the USS Hector and the USS Stockdale. On June 14, 1947 he was united in marriage to Virginia Hutterer. He was a construction contractor for many years. He became a Master Gardener and operated Foster Greenhouse in Little Canada, Minnesota for a few years, as well as operating a truck garden. Joe came to Amery 10 years ago and lived in the hi-rise apartments. For three years he was the manager of the Farmer's Market in Amery for the Amery Community Club. Joe was a member of the VFW and Knights of Columbus. The past two years he has been a resident of Willow Ridge Healthcare in Amery where he died on Monday June 21, 2010 at the age of 86 years.
He was preceded in death by his parents, wife Virginia granddaughter Lynn Solomon; brothers Bud and George. Left to mourn are his children: Patricia Shomion, Timothy (Bernice) Foster, Theresa Jarocki, Paul Foster, David (Betsy) Foster, and Tom (Beth) Foster; brothers: Richard, Maurice, Raymond and Thomas Foster; sisters: Sally Opalinski and Eileen Hanley. He also leaves 10 grandchildren, 7 great grandchildren, 3 great great grandchildren as well as other relatives and friends.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Thursday at 10:30 a.m. from St. Joseph Catholic Church in Amery. Burial will be at Fort Snelling National Cemetery at 2:30 p.m. Thursday at Assembly area number 6. Visitation will be Wednesday from 4 to 7 p.m. with prayers at 6:45 p.m. at the Williamson-White Funeral Chapel in Amery and for the hour prior to the service at the church.