I want to begin by saying thank you to everyone who cared about and loved my grandmother. She loved all of you too.
On May 25, 2025, my grandmother, Vivian Sharon Foster, passed away at the age of 75. She was receiving hospice care at home since June of 2022 and passed at home while we were still sleeping. I can assure everyone that she was not in any pain.
We are raising funds for her cremation and burial of her ashes. She will be laid to rest with her husband in Arkansas at the National Cemetery.
My grandmother was born and raised in Des Arc, Arkansas. She was a graduate of Des Arc High School. She grew up with her two brothers, Lynn and Wallace, and her mother, Bobbie Green. She cared so much for her mother, always wanting to talk to her mom about anything going on. Her brothers were also very important to her. When they were kids, she and they would love to hang out after school and play with some of the school kids that were around the neighborhood.
Arkansas is where she met her husband, James Foster Sr. He was a US Veteran who served in Vietnam from 1/1970 to 12/1970. She loved him wholeheartedly and always had the best stories to tell about him. They later had their son, James Foster Jr. (my dad). My grandmother adored her son and did everything she could for him. One of his earliest memories with her was when they were in the car together and my dad had told her, “my nozzles are stopped up,” instead of nostrils, and she laughed so hard she was in literal tears from it. It still makes my dad laugh to this day. My grandmother, grandfather, and dad eventually moved down to Louisiana when my dad was only 6 and have been here since. They stayed out in Kenner, Louisiana but also moved to Gonzales (1990), Baton Rouge (2008), and Prairieville (2013).
My grandmother was a very hardworking woman. She worked at a few places that I know of, like Kmart and Meadows Restaurant in Don Carter’s Bowling Alley. Then for as long as I can remember, she worked at Payless which turned into LeBlanc’s, and then Lamendola’s for a short period of time. Payless is where she met her two good friends, Allison and Marie. She spoke very highly of them.
She would do anything for family. She was our rock; she kept everyone together. She loved going fishing with her husband. Loved visiting Wallace and his kids in Arkansas. She always went to see them whenever she could and called them often. She also took care of me as if I was her daughter. She helped my dad raise me. One of my favorite memories with her was the times when I would sit on her lap and force her to listen to my music. Even if she didn’t like the songs or if I had a horrible singing voice, she would listen and smile or laugh. Her laugh was contagious; I miss it a bunch. She liked to go out to eat with us. Our go-tos were Casa Maria, Jay’s BBQ, or Brew Bacher’s. With her family in Arkansas, she liked going to restaurants like Eat My Catfish or Colton’s. She loved music, her favorites being Elvis, Johnny Cash, and Kenny Rogers, or when she was with her husband, they would listen to Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. She was there for my biggest achievements, getting a cheerleading trophy, graduating high school, having two amazing little boys, getting my first car. She got to hold both Rylee and Myles. Even if she wasn’t fully there due to the dementia, we told her all about it anyway hoping that those things would stick and she would understand them and I think she did.
I feel like I have barely scratched the surface of her life as there are so many memories that I have forgotten or memories that don’t need to be shared, even memories that I wasn’t around for. So if you have a memory or some pictures, please don’t hesitate to share them at the bottom of this fundraiser. I appreciate everyone who had an influence in my mawmaw’s life, as it helped shape her into the woman she was.