Photo courtesy of Chadwick Funeral and Cremation Service, LLC - New London
New London, New Hampshire
Jul 22, 1937 – Apr 19, 2018 (Age 80)
Robert (“Bob”) Russell Foster, MD, of Winchester, MA and Sunapee, NH died on April
19, 2018 due to complications from Parkinson’s. A Memorial Service will be held on
Saturday, June 9 at 2:00 PM at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Gould Road, New London with a
reception to follow.
Bob was born July 22, 1937 in Cambridge, MA to Margaret Persons Foster and LeBaron
Russell Foster of Princeton, NJ. He attended the Lawrenceville School before going to
Harvard University. While pursuing his undergraduate degree in biochemistry, he
wrestled and played football, becoming a Phi Beta Kappa scholar and receiving the
William J. Bingham Award for the outstanding athlete and leader of the senior class.
He was later inducted into the Harvard Varsity Club Hall of Fame for wrestling.
After Harvard Medical School and one year of residency in orthopedics at Roosevelt
Hospital in New York, Bob married Laura Beth Mason of Seattle, WA. He then joined
the Air Force and was stationed at the Academy in Colorado Springs. After completing
medical training at New York Presbyterian Hospital, Bob moved to Winchester, MA to
raise a family. He built a private practice, working at Symmes Hospital in Arlington,
and at Mt Auburn Hospital in Cambridge where he served as Chief of Orthopedics for
20 years, retiring in 2002. He then made his permanent home in Sunapee, NH.
Retirement saw Bob pursuing renewed interest in golf and investing in new passions
including photography, musicology and wildflowers. Bob was by nature a gifted
student who pursued academic, athletic, and intellectual endeavors with
characteristic discipline, focus and rigor. He loved jazz, played it often, and enjoyed
sharing and discussing it with friends, family and the occasional stranger.
Bob is survived by his wife Laura Beth of 52 years; two sons Jeffrey (Valerie) Foster of
Flagstaff, AZ and Campbell (Elizabeth) Foster of Lafayette, CA; two grandchildren
Makena, and Kiana; two grandchildren Lindsay and Tate; and brother Peter (Marbie)
Foster of Bangor, ME. His brother Warren William Foster of Atwater, CA predeceased
him.
Memorial contributions may be made to The Fells, P.O. Box 276, Newbury, NH 03255;
or Lake Sunapee Protective Association, 63 Main Street, Sunapee, NH 03782.
Dr Foster fixed my broken leg with great restraint. But, what I also remember is the 7 days in the hospital, every day he reset my bones/cast he sang me a different Brahams piece because he said my taste in music needed upgrading. He was a gifted surgeon and a caring person.
Tina Conlon
May 15, 2025 | Other
I still remember Bob's teaching principles and try to emulate them when I have my Live Stream sessions with the orthopaedic residents twice a week. Best, John Denton
John Denton
April 17, 2025 | New Rochelle, NY | Student
He was a great one! Calm without being silenced, erudite without being arrogant, encouraging without being dominating. He was our senior resident and then chief resident in '70 -'72.
Jim Cole
April 18, 2024 | Wyckoff, NJ | Teacher
Bob was one of the best. He set me on the right path in orthopaedic surgery when I was a junior resident in 1969.
John Denton
April 17, 2024 | New Rochelle, NY | Student
I just learned of Dr. Foster´s passing. He performed surgery on both my feet in 1975, when I was just about to enter Harvard College. I haven´t had a moment´s problem with my feet in the intervening four decades, and I am so grateful for his skill and kindness.
Leslie Kirwan
August 14, 2023 | Other
I was 13 in 1975 and got hit by a car. Dr Foster put me back together but what I remember most of as that he was a kind and caring man. Just the type of doctor that a scared 13 year old boy needed. RIP Dr Foster
Mike
July 07, 2021 | Friend
I've only now learned of Dr Bob Foster's death last year.
I send my condolences to his family and friends. On April 1, 1973, I was involved in a head on collision. I was taken to Mt Auburn Hospital by ambulance. I met Dr Bob Foster in the ER. I was 22 years old. He calmly informed me of my injuries and what he would be doing in the ER. I spent the next 54 days in Mt Auburn Hosp under his care, most of that time in skeletal traction. He saw me all but one of those 54 days. My...
Kathleen Novello Ellis
April 05, 2019 | GRANTS PASS, OR
Bob was my senior resident and then Chief Resident at the New York Orthopaedic Hospital, 1969-71. He was truly outstanding-one of the finest residents with which I was associated in my forty-five years of orthopaedic education. He was not only an excellent surgeon, but an effective teacher and leader. He will be missed.
Blessings to Bob and his family.
John Denton
January 11, 2019 | New Rochelle, NY
Remembered By
John Denton
January 11, 2019 | New Rochelle, NY
