Jack Wylie Foster

Jack Wylie Foster on February 22, 2017, Jack Wylie Foster passed away peacefully with his family by his side. The only son and youngest of four children of James Andrew and Jeanne Coffman Foster, he was born on January 16, 1929 in Memphis. He was raised in midtown and attended Central High School where his football running skills earned him the well known nickname, "Green Hornet"; and where he found his golden voice and developed it into a life-long love of music.

Mr. Foster's athletic talent earned a football scholarship to the University of Arkansas, but he was unable to play do to an injury. So he opted to attend the University of Memphis, then called Memphis State. He stayed active athletically, coaching during his college years for the high school football team at Pentecost-Garrison Boys School (the predecessor to M.U.S. today) in midtown; and during summers he was a counselor at Camp Mountain Lake in North Carolina.

After college, Mr. Foster enlisted in the US Air Force for two terms, served during the latter part of the Korean War, earned the distinct qualifications to fly a single engine jet, was promoted to the rank of First Lieutenant and was honorably discharged after six years of service.

In 1958, he met the love of his life, Sylvia Houston, who was several years his junior, cute as a bug and from New Albany, MS. They were an instant match for each other and were married on February 3, 1959.

After the Air Force, Mr. Foster attended law school and sold cars to help pay for school and his family's living costs. But he found he was good at sales and preferred sales to law, so he quit the law and joined the Chrysler Corporation where he quickly rose to District Manager in Jackson, TN. Chrysler wanted Mr. Foster to move further from Memphis than he cared, so his family returned to Memphis were he obtained his license to be a real estate broker and opened his own firm: the Jack Foster & Company Realtors, where he specialized in corporate relocation. Mr. Foster's love of people made him a natural (and successful) salesman. "He had a way of making people feel that he was their friend," said his wife Sylvia who worked with him for years. "In fact, many of our friends were his clients first. They just loved him." His sales acumen earned him the lifetime Award of Real Estate's Million Dollar Sales Club (Now the Multi-Million Dollar Sales Club).

Mr. Foster stayed active all of his life in numerous ways. He loved to play tennis, table tennis and golf; and for 40 years or so, he had a regular golf group who played together at the golf clubs in and around Memphis. He and Sylvia had regular season tickets to Memphis' Tiger football and loved tailgating at the games. His love of music was matched by that of his wife, so they had regular season tickets for years to the Memphis Symphony. He also helped his community in many generous ways, enjoying for many years the delivery of meals for MIFA.

Most important throughout his life was his faith in Jesus and his family's activities with his church, Christ United Methodist Church (CUMC). He and his family participated in and promoted many of the activities available for families, and he was asked twice to serve on the administrative board of CUMC.

Mr. Foster was preceded in death by his parents and three sisters: Jessie Houseal, Jeanne Godwin, and Beatrice Chamblin. Jack and Sylvia just celebrated their 58th anniversary of their wonderful and loving marriage, which gave them two daughters, Lisa (Martin) Foster Thompson and Ann (Drew) Foster Mohler; six grand-daughters: May (Patrick) Walker, Ann Thompson, Lisa J. Thompson, Lauren Mohler, Caroline Mohler and Katherine Ann Mohler; and two great-grandsons: Thomas and Henry Walker; all of Memphis. Mr. Foster also leaves 6 nephews and nieces: Dr. Robert Green Watkins, John Houseal, James Houseal, Dale Houseal, Nancy Dunavant Kisner and Luanne Dunavant Matson.

Mrs. Foster would like to give special thanks to the staff at Paige Robbins Adult Daycare and Gerald Smith.

Funeral services will be held at Christ United Methodist Church in Wilson Chapel at noon on Saturday, February 25, 2017. Visitation will start at eleven o'clock in the morning. Burial services will be at the VA Cemetery in a private service. The family request that all donations go to Paige Robbins Adult Daycare, MIFA or the charity of the donor's choice . Online condolences may be offered through www.memphisfuneralhome.net.