Ann Foster

1933 - 2024

Margaret Ann Foster

October 26, 1933 - January 13, 2024

Cary, North Carolina - Margaret Ann Foster, 90, beloved wife, mother, and grandmother, died peacefully in her sleep on January 13, 2024 at home in Cary, NC. She is survived by her husband of 68 years, Norman; her sons, Nigel (Susan Howitt) and Mark; and grandsons, Hunter and Emerson.

Ann, as she was always known, was born, and raised in Bristol, England. At the age of 19 she met Norman at a local tennis club in Bristol, and they married several years later. Soon after, they emigrated, first to Ottawa, Canada, and two years later to the United States. Norman's work with various divisions of AT&T, including Western Electric and Bell Labs, led them to relocate several times. They spent the last 37 years in Cary, NC. Ann and Norman also loved to travel and for many years had a second home in Fano, Italy and later London, England. Each move gave Ann the opportunity to exercise her passion for making each house into a family home.

Ann loved doing all kinds of arts and crafts and began honing her skills at a very young age, embroidering handkerchiefs to give as holiday gifts. After her mother taught her to sew, she became an expert seamstress making most of her own clothes and several spectacular wedding dresses for family and friends. She also loved knitting, counted-cross stitch, made beautiful stained glass, and over the years dabbled in marquetry, ceramics, upholstery, tapestry, and painting. She also found time for part-time work in a knitting shop and jewelry stores. You name it, and she probably tried it, and she found it all FUN.

Ann was a member, and held offices in, the Cosmopolitan Associates in PA, and Daughters of the British Empire (DBE) in NC.

In Cary, she was a volunteer for many years at WakeMed Cary Hospital, working in the gift shop and then making small stuffed animals to give to pediatric patients. She organized sewing groups to help, and they have donated several hundred to local charities.

Ann always had a love of animals that included a passion for swans and was instrumental in providing swans for the lake in her community.