William "Bill" Foster

Bill was born in Washington, D.C. on August 23, 1929. He was raised in North Carolina and moved to Washington, D.C. at the age of 14 to accept an appointment to become the United States Congressional Page sponsored by Senator Clyde Hoey and Representative John Folger.

In 1945, Bill was selected to deliver the funeral wreath from the Congressional Pages to the train bearing the body of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. He had the unique opportunity to serve as an escort on FDR’s final trek from Warm Springs, GA to Washington, D.C.

Bill graduated from Capitol Page School, Washington, D.C. in 1947 receiving a diploma signed by President Harry S. Truman. In 1952, he received his Bachelor of Science degree from Wake Forest University. Serving his country in the United States Air Force during the Korean War, Bill held positions at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. and in Tokyo and Nagoya, Japan.

In 1955, Bill moved to California and began a career in Personnel and Industrial Relations (“PIRA”). He was quickly promoted to Corporate Director of Industrial Relations for a distinguished information technology company. In 1969, he was elected President of PIRA, the youngest leader ever elected for this strategic position.

Bill’s entrepreneurial spirit started calling stronger and in 1975, he decided to leave the corporate world. After deep reflection, he selected Dallas, TX at NorthPark Mall to launch the first “Rug Crafters” franchise in the Lone Star State.

In 1985, after a decade of “minding the store”, it was time for another transition. Bill entered the world of residential real estate representing the clientele of Ebby Halliday Realtors in Dallas, TX. In 1987, he left Ebby to accept a promotion as Manager of Coldwell Banker Real Estate at locations throughout the Dallas area.

Following several years of congestive heart failure, Bill received a heart transplant on January 4, 1995. This was the 143rd transplant completed by St. Paul Medical Center in Dallas. After a remarkably quick recovery, Bill returned to his residential real estate practice and became the Manager/Partner of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate (now GMAC) network in the Dallas area.

Volunteering as a certified visitor for the “Mended Hearts” organization, Bill routinely devoted hours of personal time sharing with heart patients during their pre/post heart transplant phase offering encouragement, counseling and comfort on what to expect throughout the transplant process.

Bill is survived by his wife of 55 years, Joanne; his son Kent and his wife Margaret; his daughter Karen, his grand children Kelly, Samuel and Sarah, and his brother, Bob.

Bill leaves us inspired to live an engaging life, being a good neighbor and striving for new experiences regardless of where we are in our journey. His desire is to be remembered as a strong spiritual person who delighted in helping people experience optimism and levity by showing a relentlessly cheerful side of life to all the lives he touched.