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John Foster Obituary

John Foster, 74, Retired firefighter was the life of the party When John Foster laughed it was contagious. Genuine and uproarious, his belly-shaking chuckle transformed his shy demeanor and instantly made him the life of the party. He died on Monday after a brief illness. For the Foster family, all laughter has quietly ceased. Born and raised in Brooklyn, the son of Elinor and Frank, he met his wife, Sally (nee Elizabeth Gorman) at Tony's Ice Cream Parlor on Brooklyn's 8th Avenue. "It was love at first sight," Sally Foster said. "He was 17 and I was 15 but the moment I saw him I knew he was the one." Both John and Sally returned to that ice cream parlor every day at the same time in the hopes of seeing each other again. He proposed to her in his dress blue uniform before departing for a combat tour to Vietnam with the U.S. Marine Corps. The couple married upon his return in February of 1967. "My sister and brothers adopted him immediately as one of their own and that was no easy task," Mrs. Foster said of her 10 siblings who were widely known in their Park Slope neighborhood. "But John fit right in. They loved him. He became like another brother to them all." Called for employment with the FDNY in 1969, Mr. Foster proudly served the department as a firefighter for 28 years, assigned to Ladder Companies 107 and 131 and Rescue 5. Quiet, humble, hard-working and sincere, the Great Kills resident worked three jobs to provide for his family. Even after his retirement from the FDNY, he continued working as a Fire Safety Director until 2021. "I can still hear him singing the 'Rocky' anthem after he came home from working a 24," his daughter, Eileen Cappello recalled. "He worked two other jobs to make sure we had everything we needed and then would drive to his grandmother's house to stock her kitchen cabinets and have a cup of coffee with her. He genuinely had a heart of gold." Described as fun loving and honest, a man who never told a lie, Mr. Foster cared for his mother-in-law, parents, grandparents and younger brother, Robert, who was wheelchair bound. "Family was everything to him," his son, Brian Foster said. "He was the fun uncle, the fun brother. Everyone adored him." Mr. Foster had a great passion for ancestry, spending much of his time researching his family genealogy, compiling historical records and building detailed branches of the Foster/Gorman family tree. He also loved baseball and had a knack for memorizing team stats. He loved to sing and dance and together with his wife he happily hosted annual Christmas parties to which the entire neighborhood was welcome. His Sunday sauce was beloved in Rescue 5 and on the job he was well known for his quiet bravado. He received multiple class A and B recognitions for brave actions in the line of duty, yet he always felt that was what a fireman was meant to do. In addition to his wife of 54 years, Sally, son Brian and daughter, Eileen, Mr. Foster is survived by his daughters, Kathleen Albano, Elizabeth Keane and Carolyn Foster and 13 grandchildren. "He was an amazing and beloved husband, father and cherished Grandfather who had a very special bond with each and every one of us," Eileen concluded. "We will miss him terribly."

Published by Staten Island Advance from May 26 to May 27, 2021.
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Memories and Condolences
for John Foster

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Not a moment goes by where we don´t miss you.

Your Family

Family

September 12, 2023

Miss you Pop.
Love The Gang

The Foster Gang

Family

September 12, 2023

I miss you every day and every moment. Forever in my heart and soul.

Kathleen Albano

Family

September 12, 2023

Foster Girls - We Love you dad.

Kathleen Albano

Family

March 24, 2023

Foster-Frcek

Family

May 25, 2022

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Our Pop

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With Pop and Grandma

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May 25, 2022

Kathleen

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May 25, 2022

Kathleen

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Kathleen

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Kathleen

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Kathleen

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May 25, 2022

Our Family

Kathleen

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May 25, 2022

Forever missed FDNY

Rescue 5

Friend

May 25, 2022

Pop and Bobby

Frcek-Foster

Family

May 25, 2022

Love you Pop

Colin

Family

May 25, 2022

Fosters

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Fosters

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May 25, 2022

Fireman´s Farwell

Fosters

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May 25, 2022

Picture with Grandparents. Love you..

Bridget Confirmation

Family

May 25, 2022

Words cannot express my gratitude towards my two parents. Not a day goes by that I don´t miss you. Rest In Peace

Kathleen

Family

May 25, 2022

Always helping us.

Foster Grandkids

Family

May 25, 2022

Miss you and Love you.

Michael

Family

May 25, 2022

See you soon Pops.
We love you.
Have fun with the rest of our family.

Foster Family

Family

May 24, 2022

Our Dad and his final send off from FDNY

Fireman´s Family

Friend

May 24, 2022

Christmas with Pop and Grandma

Foster Party

Family

May 24, 2022

5 children
John and Elizabeth Foster

Kathleen

Family

May 24, 2022

Pop - Always with me in my

Alexis Foster

Family

May 24, 2022

1 Year without you has felt like forever. We miss you and love you.

Foster Family

Family

May 24, 2022

Robert (Bobby) Foster- The Best Friend and Brother of John Foster

The Foster Gang

Family

April 20, 2022

Grief can be so hard, but our special memories help us cope. Remembering you with your loved one today and always. Fun times with Pop.

Foster Party

Family

April 19, 2022

Thanks Pop for you and Grandma always caring and loving us. Live, Love, Laugh.
Love, Michael, Alexis, Victoria, Brianna, Elizabeth, Mallory, Kailey, Bridget, Christian, Vincent, Christopher, Aidan, & Colin

13 Foster Grandchildren

Family

April 12, 2022

Miss you Dad/Pop.

Brian Foster

February 6, 2022

Pops-Forever missed

Michael Orlando

February 5, 2022

Marine-Vietnam

Elizabeth Foster

January 22, 2022

Remember to always Live, Love and Laugh; Just like Pop

Foster Boys

January 22, 2022

Hanging with our Pop

Foster Girls

January 22, 2022

Love, Michael, Alexis and Victoria

A Fireman´s Grandchildren

January 22, 2022

Miss u Dad

Kathy

January 22, 2022

Box is the best present of all.

Foster Gang

January 22, 2022

Miss you pops

Elizabeth Albano

January 22, 2022

Love u Pops

The Gang

January 22, 2022

Love You Dad

Brian and Kathy with Mom and Dad

January 22, 2022

Johnny 50th Birthday Party

Gotmans

January 22, 2022

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We love you Pops and Mom

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