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Betty Jean Andress Foster, 93, a resident of Fort Deposit passed away peacefully in her family home on Friday, Oct. 25.

Mrs. Foster was born in Butler County, Alabama on Sept. 11, 1931.

She was predeceased in death by her husband of 72 years, Willie Claude Foster; son, Randy Paul Foster; son-in-law, Wallace Howard Wills; parents Stephen Eli and Mayne Fail Andress and siblings John E. Andress, Steve Andress, Terry Andress, Harold Andress, Carolyn Bowden and Eloise Kuczmarski.

Left to cherish her memory is her daughter, Shirley; grandson, Wallace Howard “Sonny” Wills, Jr.; great-grandchildren, Townson Andress Wills, Wallace Howard Wills, III; brothers Bobby Andress and Donald (Gayle) Andress and many nieces, nephews and other extended family members and friends.

Betty graduated from Greenville High School in May of 1951 and married Willie Claude Foster on June 9, 1951. Both were children of the Great Depression. Together they built a working farm and a loving home that was grounded in the values of hard work and honesty. She loved being a homemaker and taking care of her family.

Mrs. Foster was employed with the Butler County School System in 1970 serving in several positions. She spent 27 years working full time as an instructional assistant in the classroom, ran a bus route, worked in the lunchroom and was an assistant in the classroom working with special needs children. She played an important role in the lives of young people in Butler County. An annual event for the young children at W.0. Parmer was a trip to the Foster Farm to tour the garden, barn, peacock farm, farm equipment and the cattle.

After retirement she continued helping with the school system drama team at W.O. Parmer, substitute teaching, and loved reading to the children from time to time. She began to devote much of her time to volunteer work for which she won many awards for all her accomplishments to include the Andrus Award for community work and received the Alabama Education Association-Education Support Personnel Organization (AEA-ESPO) Shining Star Award, the highest support personnel honor statewide.

Betty served as an officer in the Retired Educators of Butler County and was President of AARP for the years of 2013 and 2014. She also served as Director of Senior Adults of the Butler Baptist Association. As a dedicated member of Spring Creek Baptist Church, she taught mission friends, attended WMU group meetings, had a beautiful voice and sang in the choir. She loved Jesus more than any one in her family had ever met and did her best to live her life in accordance with his teachings. 

Mrs. Foster was a member of the Spring Creek Homemakers Club and gave her time sharing her talent of baking to the community, baking cheese straws, famous peanut brittle, tea cakes and cakes of all kinds, she was a member of the Order of the Eastern Star, Greenville Chapter, serving as an officer and Worthy Matron, AmeriCorps volunteer, helped with Relay for Life, and was a cancer survivor herself. She worked as a pink lady at LV Stabler Memorial Hospital, working one day a week in the radiology department.

Mrs. Foster was one devoted servant whose life was a living testimony of love, caring, compassion and faithfulness. 

Mrs. Foster and her family were blessed by her two caregivers, Debbie Miller and Juanita Simmons, and the Southern Care Hospice team for their loving, comforting and compassionate care. 

Mrs. Foster’s family will welcome visitors at Dunklin Funeral Home, Greenville, on Thursday, Oct. 31 from 4 – 6 p.m. and on Friday, Nov. 1st, visitation 10 – 11 a.m. at Spring Creek Baptist Church, 142 Ashmore Road, Honoraville, Alabama with a funeral service at 11 a.m. and graveside service to follow in the Spring Creek Church cemetery.