More detail on this person: Robert W. Foster,
70, resident of Milford, NH, died unexpectedly on
September 23, 2012 while hiking on Pack
Monadnock Mountain in Temple, NH. He was born
in Natick, MA on February 23, 1942, a son of
Forest A. and Annabelle (Hudson) Foster, and was
the youngest of eight children. He earned his
undergraduate degree from Northeastern University
and his Masters in Education from Notre Dame
College, Manchester, NH. In addition, he received
his Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study from
the University of New Hampshire. Mr. Foster made
his home in the Amherst and Milford area for more
than 40 years. He had been employed as a pilot for
Eastern Airlines for more than 20 years. He later
changed careers and began teaching at the Milford
Middle School where he taught Social Studies for
the past 19 years. An avid outdoorsman, he
enjoyed golfing, kayaking, hiking and mountain
climbing. He was a history buff and loved
football, especially the New England Patriots,
where he had been a season ticket holder for more
than 40 years. He had a great sense of humor,
enjoyed traveling and most especially spending
time with his family. He could always be found
throwing a ball with his own kids, grandkids and
neighborhood kids. Mr. Foster was a U.S. Army
veteran and served as a helicopter pilot during
the Vietnam War. His numerous medals include the
Gallantry Cross, Purple Heart, Air Medal with 24
Oak Leaf Clusters and the Distinguished Flying
Cross. He was honorably discharged in 1968 with
the rank of Captain.
Family members include his wife of 46 years,
Elizabeth A. (Calyer) Foster of Milford; two sons,
John C. Foster and his partner, Linda Jones of New
York City, Robert J. Foster of Milford; a daughter
and son-in-law, Heather A. and Eddie Owens of
Gorham, ME; three grandchildren, Padraic Owens,
Aidan Owens and Emma Owens, all of Gorham,
ME; a sister, Mary Jane Russell of Eugene, OR; a
brother and sister-in-law, William and Sylvia
Foster of Otis, MA; as well as many nieces and
nephews with whom he was very close. He was
predeceased by his siblings Marylin, Jerry, Jim,
Jack and Dottie. Memorial visiting hours are
Thursday, September 27th from 5:00-8:00 pm in the
Smith & Heald Funeral Home, 63 Elm Street,
Milford. A memorial service with military honors
will be held on Friday at 10:00 am in the
Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 20 Elm
Street, Milford. In lieu of flowers, donations in
his memory may be made to the Wounded Warrior
Project at www.woundedwarriorproject.org
Arrangements are in the care of Smith & Heald
Funeral Home, Milford. To leave an online
condolence, please go to www.smith-heald.com
Published in MetroWest Daily News on September
26, 2012
This information was last updated 09/27/2012
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