Ruth Elizabeth Foster, 93
Ruth Elizabeth Foster, 93, passed away in Sandpoint, Idaho, on Monday, March 14, 2005.
Funeral services will be conducted at 10 a.m. Friday, March 18, 2005, in Coffelt's Moon Chapel. Interment will follow at 3 p.m. (MST) in the Libby City Cemetery in Libby, Mont. Son-in-law Dale Coffelt will officiate.
Friends may call at Coffelt's Moon Chapel on Thursday afternoon from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m.
Ruth was born on Dec. 6, 1911, in Dickinson, N.D., and at an early age, moved to eastern Montana. She was adopted out of the Montana Children's Home by Walter and Catherine Moffett. They lived in Roundup, Mont., where she started school. In 1920, the family moved to Spokane, Wash., and Ruth graduated from North Central High School in 1929.
She graduated from the Deaconess School of Nursing, becoming a registered nurse. She moved to Libby, Mont., working in the Libby Hospital. She married David Foster on Dec. 26, 1936, During World War II, she lived in Spokane, Wash., nursing at the Deaconess Hospital.
In 1947, she returned to Libby, Mont., to raise her family. Following the death of her husband in 1971, she returned to nursing in the Libby area. She retired in 1982 and moved to Sandpoint to be close to her family. She continued to work as a nurse for some time in Sandpoint. In 1998, she became a resident of the Alzheimer's Unit at Life Care.
She was a lifetime member of the Presbyterian Church, serving as an elder when the new Presbyterian Church was built in Libby. For many years, she attended the Sandpoint Presbyterian Church. She was a life member of the Order of the Eastern Star in Libby. She was a Girl Scout leader for more than 20 years, receiving many awards.
She enjoyed traveling and camping with her family, fishing, and gold panning the mountain streams of Montana. For several years, she had the tallest and largest sunflower in the Bonner County Fair. She will be remembered for her sense of humor, and for being "Grandma" to everyone in the family.
She is survived by two daughters, Mrs. Don (Arlene) Bates of Seattle, Wash., and Mrs. Dale (Nancy) Coffelt of Sandpoint; 12 grandchildren, 24 great-grandchildren and seven great-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents and all of her brothers and sisters.
Memorials may be made to the Alzheimer's Support Group, c/o Evelyn McIntire, 618 Oak St., Sandpoint, ID 83864.
Funeral arrangements are under the care of Coffelt Funeral Service