Patricia Foster

Patricia Chesnut Foster

Resident of San Mateo

Died at home on Monday, November 8. She had been suffering from cancer and other ailments when the Lord took her. She was most noted for her love of family and friends and her extensive leadership and work with local charities. In addition, she was noted for her humor, organization, intelligence, and remarkable sense of style.

She was born in Miami, Oklahoma on April 15, 1931. The eldest of three beautiful girls (Patricia, Marilou & Brenda), she was raised by her parents Dr. Wylie and Pauline Chesnut. She graduated from Holland Hall in Tulsa, Oklahoma in1948. She attended Mills College in Oakland, Ca her freshman year and then graduated from University of Oklahoma in 1952. She moved to Honolulu, Hawaii in 1953 where she met and fell in love with real estate developer, T. Jack Foster Jr., also from Oklahoma. The two were married in 1954 and journeyed through almost 56 years together until her death. On that journey they had two children while living in Hawaii, daughter Lee and son T. Jack III, and then one more, Mark, after moving to Hillsborough, California in 1960 for her husband and his father and brothers to begin development of Foster City.

She had no problem making friends, and in fact had more close friends when she died than most people have in a lifetime. That of course is a testament to her loyalty, honesty and integrity. She loved to dance and sing, although her moves were a lot more graceful than her voice; she always knew all the lyrics. However that didn't stop her from singing, because her love of life would not keep her from doing whatever it was she wanted to do. It seemed what she wanted to do was to help others.

Pat was a founding member and second President of the Family Service Auxiliary, Vice President of the Auxiliary to the Society of Crippled Children & Adults (now Community Gatepath), Chair of the Fashion Show Committee of the Junior League of San Francisco, and Chair of the Fol de Rol of the San Francisco Opera Guild. Pat was also one of the founders of the Auxiliary and Board member for PARCA, Secretary and Vice President of the Hillsborough Garden Club, and Chair of the Women's Committee of the First Presbyterian Church, Burlingame. She has served with Travelers Aid, San Francisco Airport; Children's Hospital, San Francisco; and with various Hillsborough PTA activities. She was jointly honored with her husband T. Jack by the Volunteer Center as Volunteers of the Year.

She and T. Jack were members of the Burlingame Country Club and she enjoyed performing in the annual "Club Show" year after year. She always had the "Never give up" attitude in life, which has rubbed off on her family. She had a great sense of humor and she kept that humor to the very end even though she was in great pain. Her last words to T. Jack were to tell him how much she loved him.

A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, November 16 at 3 pm at the First Presbyterian Church of Burlingame, 1500 Easton Drive (at El Camino Real), Burlingame. Contributions in lieu of flowers may be made in her honor to either Community Gatepath in Burlingame or Hillbarn Theatre in Foster City. She left behind a husband, three children (plus three children in-law), ten grandchildren, many nephews and nieces and too many best friends to list. She will be greatly missed. Godspeed Pat!