Donald Foster

Born in Jackson, MS in 1948 to Eva Jean Sorenson and Robert Foster, Gene Foster was one-of-a-kind. A man among men, Gene had a gentle spirit and a heart full of love. He was slow to tell a story, but quick to deliver a sarcastic remark. In his youth, Gene enjoyed playing baseball, watching ball games with his mom, teenage shenanigans, and going to Ole Miss football games with his dad. Throughout his career in the Army and the National Guard, Gene served our nation with his whole heart. After becoming a family man, Gene adored his son and daughter, never failing to find an opportunity to embarrass them at any cost. Gene served his country in Vietnam as a dog handler, something he took extreme pride in. Later in life, he was contacted by the person who donated his famous bomb-sniffing German Shepherd named Barr. Throughout his career in the Mississippi National Guard, Gene served as an Active Guard Reserve NCO at Camp Shelby, MS. He worked as an Instructor at Region III NCO Academy, now known as RTI. Throughout his service, he received two Army Commendation Medals, the Army Achievement Medal, 5 Army Good Conduct Medals, the Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal, the Army of Occupation Medal, two National Defense Service Medals, the Vietnam Service Medal with four Bronze Service Stars, two Armed Forces Reserve Medals, the Non-Commissioned Officers Professional Award, the Development Ribbon, the Army Service Ribbon, two Overseas service ribbons, the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation, the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, the Expert Marksman Qualification Badge, and the Combat Infantryman Badge, Fondly referred to as Geno, Mean-Gene-the-Dancing-Machine, and Sgt. Garfield, Gene will be remembered in the best of our memories: his love for naps, his enjoyment of fishing, watching wrestling, his funny stories, and his uncanny ability to not worry about the small stuff. In 1984 Gene met and married the love of his life, Frances. He quickly became a father to her young daughter Nathalie, never hesitating to accept her as his own. In 1988 they had a son Alex, who was his pride and joy. Our dad never missed a baseball or softball game, and he was always our biggest fan. After his retirement in 2001, Gene spent his days fishing, napping, and drinking a lot of sweet tea. Gene is preceded in death by his father Robert Foster and his stepfather Merle Sorenson. He is survived by his wife Frances Bounds Foster, his mother Eva Jean Sorenson, his stepmother Gale Foster, stepsisters Robin Goodwin and Rhonda Baker, his daughter Nathalie Barnes (Richard), son Alex Foster (Tamica), and grandchildren Thad, Leigh, and Maddi Claire Barnes, Noel Underwood, Kaden Green, and Jaxon Foster. Although Gene will be sorely missed, we know that he is no longer suffering and is happy to be in his eternal napping place. The following arrangements have been made in his honor: Visitation will be from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday March 16th at Forrest Funeral Home in Hattiesburg, MS. Military services will be held at Biloxi National Cemetery on Friday March 17th at 12:30, with lineup for the processional at Forrest Funeral Home between 10 and 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, our family requests that you send donations to the United States War Dogs Association Memorial Fund, 1313 Mt. Holly Rd., Burlington, NJ 08016.