Rev. John Howard Foster

John Howard Foster was born August 5, 1934 in Mount Vernon, New York. He would tell you he was born in the Bronx. He was the first born of Howard and Ann Foster. The family soon moved to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in 1936 where his little sister Gail was born. It was in Pennsylvania where John found his profound love of nature. He delighted in the tall trees and deep woods as a child. In his teenage years, the Foster family of four moved to Oklahoma City. John later told his children that the wide-open spaces of the Oklahoma plains felt scary to him at first having lost the comfort of the woods.

At the first opportunity, John worked in nature as a camp counselor for the Y at Camp Classen. He attended Classen High School, Oklahoma City University, Southern Methodist University, and graduated in 1959 from SMU’s Perkins School of Theology in Dallas with what today is called a Master of Divinity. John was a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity at both OCU and SMU.

After serving the Methodist Church in Blair and Calumet, Rev. Foster asked Bishop Angie Smith to move him to a town with some educated, and eligible women. When Bishop Smith refused, John asked Dr. Irving Smith if he could come on staff as the Christian Education Director at First Methodist Church in Stillwater. Not only did Irving say yes, he also introduced John to the president of the young adult Sunday School class named Carol Morgan. A few months later Carol said yes to John’s proposal to marry. Dr. Smith officiated their wedding at First Methodist Church, Stillwater on March 21, 1964.

Bishop Angie Smith, appointed John to the Methodist Church in Talihina, Oklahoma, where his daughter Deborah was born in 1965. Rev. Foster was then appointed to the Methodist Church in Ringling, Oklahoma, where his son Mark was born in 1967.

On April 23, 1968 John and Carol drove to Dallas, to witness the birth of a new denomination that joined the Evangelical United Brethren and the Methodist Church to form The United Methodist Church. Rev. Foster served as an elder in the Methodist and then United Methodist Church for more than 41 years in a row.

John was senior pastor of First United Methodist Church, Prattville, Oklahoma for five years. He led the relocation and building of a new sanctuary and education wing. At the Tulsa YMCA, he taught his children to swim before they could walk. John loved to snorkel, dive, and would swim more than a mile a week for more than 40 years.

In the early 1970’s, he was appointed as an associate pastor to First United Methodist Church of Bartlesville. There he loved leading the family campers’ group, the youth ministry, and helped with the church’s Boy Scout Troop 2. He taught his children to water ski and snow ski in this season. Notably, Rev. Foster preached outdoors at the early morning worship service atop the concession stand at the drive-in movie theatre.

In the 80’s Rev. Foster was appointed as senior minister of Guthrie First United Methodist Church. While there, he led with grace and compassion to many in need overseeing a deaf church that met on Sunday afternoons, caring for the hungry and hurting people who stopped by the church, and bringing the church out of debt. In Guthrie, Rev. Foster attended too many band concerts and school programs to count and cheered loudly at nearly every sporting event even when his children were not playing. It was also in Guthrie where he moved his father to a nursing facility only a few blocks away. John modeled compassionate care for his mom and family through the death of his father.

In 1984, Rev. Foster was appointed to Fairview, Oklahoma, where he led the capital campaign for the land where the United Methodist Church in Fairview, now stands. In 1987, he was appointed to Centenary United Methodist Church in Lawton, Oklahoma, where he and Carol started the Logos program that blessed thousands of families for decades. Rev. Foster also served Pryor United Methodist Church and May Avenue UMC in Oklahoma City.

After the birth of his first grandchild Rachel in 1996, his future plans and focus moved quickly to retirement. He retired in 1998 and served Lexington UMC for a few more years as a retired elder. “Poppa” as the four grandchildren called him, was a loving and fun playmate. Rachel, John Mark, Jacob, and Noah all grew up with the unconditional love, acceptance, support, and encouragement of their Poppa, the patriarch of the entire family system.

After caring for his mother and her passing, John and Carol fully retired and moved to the family home in NW OKC. There they hosted birthday parties, Thanksgiving dinners, and Christmas and Easter celebrations until they moved to Epworth Villa in 2017.

John enjoyed nature, gardening, walking the white beaches of the Emerald Coast of Florida, crabbing, and body surfing. He also found that he loved Sunday School at Acts 2 UMC and Chapel Hill UMC in OKC and treasured the experience having never had the opportunity as a pastor.

John had a great and quirky sense of humor laughing at practically everything that was good clean comedy, silly, or odd. He loved to learn and to argue both sides of an issue. He loved birds, flowers, and the sun. He enjoyed being outside in nature, small dogs, and model trains.

John is survived by his wife Carol of 59 years, by his sister Gail Randall and husband Marty Randall, his daughter Deborah Baack and husband Bill Baack, son Mark Foster and wife Chantelle Foster, four grandchildren, three nieces, three nephews, and two great-grandchildren. John Foster was a powerful presence in the Kingdom of God. His legacy of love and respect for all people and all creation endures. His prophetic call to help the poor, the lonely, the outcast, and the outsider lives on. His faithfulness to do what is right regardless of personal cost remains unmatched.

The family would like to recognize the love and care that surrounded John in the last three years in Household Three at Epworth Villa. In lieu of flowers, please make a difference for someone who is in need by giving to the “Benevolence Fund” in care of Acts 2 United Methodist Church, 4848 West Covell, Edmond, OK 73012 or online at acts2umc.org.

A memorial service celebrating the life of Rev. John will be held on Monday, April 10 at 2 p.m. at the Epworth Villa Chapel, 14901 N Pennsylvania Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73134.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.baggerley.com for the Foster family.