Richard Duane Foster
Richard Duane Foster passed away Tuesday, July 25, 2023 at the age of 89. Richard was born April 8, 1934, to Bert Ray and Frances Helen (Ritter) Foster in Lansing, MI.
After living in Saginaw for a short time, the family moved to the Lansing area where he attended Valley Farms Elementary School, Pattengill Jr. High, and Eastern High School. He graduated with the class of 1952. While in high school he spent half a day at the Technical School where he received awards. He entered a tool and die apprenticeship at Adams Tool and Engineering. After working there for thirteen years he was a foreman at Michigan Magnetics in Vermontville. While there, he began acquiring the equipment he needed to launch his own business, Foster Tool Products.
He moved the business from its first Potterville location on M-100 to a new building on Lansing Rd. He made a change from tool and die to designing and making molds for plastic injection parts. In 1988, the State of Michigan decided it needed the property for highway I-69. So, with that it closed the door on that part of his life. He invested in a new business in Potterville, 21st Century Plastics, where he had many friends. As part of the Potterville community, he served on the Chamber of Commerce as well as ten years on the Benton Township Fireboard.
The family enjoyed many trips in the 1948 Ryan Navion 4-seater airplane that Richard piloted with skill for fifty years. A favorite destination was Beaver Island. The list of friends and family who “took a ride” with Richard is long. Several out of state trips took the family to Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Florida, and Massachusetts. Trips in the mini motorhome to California, Arizona, and North Carolina. The most recent trips were to Ireland twice and an Alaskan cruise with family.
After high school when all of his friends were buying “made in Michigan” cars he decided he wanted something different. From an ad in Popular Mechanics, he ordered the body and frame to a car named Woodill Wildfire Roadster. Only 100 were made in California. Originally he had a flathead Ford engine in the Wildfire, then in 1957 he found out that Chevrolet was coming out with the Corvette with a fuel injected engine, he wanted one of those engines. Through the Chevrolet dealership in Shepherd, he was able to acquire one from the Racing Division of Chevrolet. On August 10, 1957, he was lined up for the parade in the Shepherd Centennial when it was announced that a girl was needed to ride with him. That girl turned out to be his future wife, Jeanette Hynes of Shepherd; they married on December 21, 1957, and this began 65 years of marriage.
The Wildfire drew attention and awards including trophies in Kalamazoo, Detroit, and the old Lansing Civic Center. He also used to drag-race the car in Stanton winning all races he entered! The Wildfire underwent an extensive restoration in 2010 followed by Concours’ de Elegance car shows in Milwaukee, WI, Des Moines, IA, and Amelia Island Florida. The island show was a world-class show where Richard took first place in a class called “Forgotten Fiberglass.”
Richard was a resident of Hope Landing Assisted Living in Charlotte, MI for the past three and a half years.
Richard is survived by his wife, Jeanette Dale (Hynes) Foster of Charlotte, MI; children: Duane Gordon Foster of Milwaukee, OR; Dale (Terri) Richard Foster of Bellevue, MI; Janice Elaine (Foster) LaDuca of Milwaukee, OR; grandkids: Andrew Ray (Carman) Foster of Perry, MI; Anna Janelle Foster of Potterville, MI; great-grandkids: Gage Anthoni Foster of Perry, MI, and Reegan Elizabeth Foster of Perry, MI.
He was preceded in death by his parents, sibling Norrine (Foster) Waterman, and nephew Jeffrey Waterman.
The family received friends on Friday, July 28, 2023, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Burkhead-Green-Kilgo Funeral Home. A graveside service will be held on Saturday at 11 a.m. at the West Carmel Cemetery.
Those desiring may make contributions in Richard’s memory to the Helping Hands Food Pantry, 621 Jefferson St., Charlotte, MI 48813 or the Potterville Benton Township District Library, 150 Library Lane, Potterville, MI 48876.
To view Richard’s obituary online or to leave a condolence for the family please visit www.burkhead-green-kilgo.com.