Les Foster was the son of a Baptist minister, Lucratus Hodges Foster and Mary Elizabeth Rebecca Black (also buried in this cemetery). He was the grandson of Thomas Jefferson Foster Jr., and the great grandson of Thomas Jefferson Foster Sr. who built the first Cass County Courthouse in Linden, Texas.

Les married Reathie May Ryan. Together they had 11 children: Cison Roatiou (Roat), Howard Donald, Mary Kathryn, Wetol Wynell who died at age 3, Josephine, Baby Boy who died at 2 days old, Leslie Joe, Reathie May, L.H., Linda Jean, and Myrtle Louise.

Les worked hard to provide for his family. During his earlier life he worked at the saw mill in Cass and Marion Counties (Texas). Later he moved to Minden, Louisiana and worked at a chicken farm. When he retired he moved to Ida, LA., and after his wife dies he moved to Avinger and then to Jerfferson, TX. He died at the Linden Hospital in Cass County, Texas.

Together he and his wife set the example of what marriage and family should be. They loved their children and grandchildren unconditionally.

It was not unusual to see Grandpa walking. After he gave up driving, because of his blindness, he would walk into town to buy his snuff. He was a funny man and there are so many things to share about him. Grandpa met my grandmother at elementary school. He laughed as he told us they fought all the way to school and back every day, and they were still fighting. He loved to tease her. He used to tell us that he walked from Hughes Springs to Avinger to work before the roads were ever paved. Grandpa Foster told us about taking an old dog off. The dog came to his house and he didn't want it hanging around. Every day Grandpa took the dog away taking it a little farther each time, only to come home after work and see the dog sitting on the front porch. Finally, Grandpa Foster told the old dog, "If you want to stay here that bad, just stay!" Christmas was a special time for the Foster family. All the kids and grandkids gathered together. There were so many of us that Grandpa's gift was a huge box containing an assortment of fruit. All the kids could hardly wait to select their choice of apple, orange or banana. He and my dad worked together hauling logs for the sawmill. A chain snapped that was holding the logs onto the truck and when the chain came over the top it hit Grandpa in the head. My dad thought it killed Grandpa, but fortunately it didn't. At that time Dad asked if he could marry my mother. Grandpa said, "If you can live with her, I can live without her." I can just visualize him rubbing his head from the pain and saying this without a second thought. Grandpa never had any hair on top of his head. What he had was white as cotton. He used to tell us he combed his hair with a wash rag. I'll never forget the time I went with him to fill his car up with gas. This was in the days of Full Service. A young boy came to the car and Grandpa told him to fill it up. We sat in the hot car waiting and waiting. After a while Grandpa poked his head out the window and asked, "Hell boy. Did you stick the nozzle in the trunk?" Another favorite was when he had my Aunt Myrtle driving home one day. She was going too slow to satisfy him so he told her to give the car 'some juice', rather than gas. One of his strick rules were the girls in the family could not wear shorts. He thought you might as well be naked. We didn't either for fear of getting a spanking. He also thought men should be clean shaven. While living in Minden his apendix burst. L.H. rushed him to the hospital and he had emergency surgery. Grandpa was in the hospital for several days, and on the day he was to be released L.H. was going to pick him up on his lunch break to take Grandpa home. Grandpa grew anxious and decided not to wait. He walked 3 miles home. Boy, did Grandma Foster scold him! As his brothers and sister were getting older they asked him to come live at the nursing home with them. He laughed and told them he didn't want to go there to tend to old folks. He was 95 years old when he died and still lived alone. I'll never forget the day my Grandma Foster died. He told me she was the only woman he ever loved. I truly believe that.

The most moving experience I have ever had was just hours just before his death. Nearly the entire family was crammed into his hospital room. He began to move about and told us he needed to tell us something. He said he didn't want to die alone. My Aunt Reathie May told him we were all there. He seemed to calm down then suddenly he began to stir again. He said, "I see you Reathie (his wife)and you do not need to be afraid because I'm coming to you. He said he saw his mother, then he lifted both arms out in front of him and he said, "There's my baby girl." It appeared he took her into his arms and they sagged a bit as if by body weight. There was not a dry eye in the room. Within a few hours afterwards he went to be with his mother, wife, and deceased children.

Grandpa was such a funny man, yet so loving. I will never foget his laughter and tender ways.

We always had a 'Foster Christmas' where we gathered as family the second Saturday of December. We bring food and gifts so we could bring the family together for Grandpa. He loved having his kids and grandkids together. After he died we continue the tradition and even though the first Christmas was very sad without Grandpa, we enjoy laughing and remembering the days of old.