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| Downtown Victoria
circa 1937. Carrie and Dick are newlyweds. |
| Richard (Dick) Foster, b. 9
July 1913 in Victoria, British Columbia, d. 14 October 1959 in
Victoria, British Columbia Father: Richard Foster (1878 - 1947) Mother: Esther Eliza Chapman (1881 - 1953) Spouse: Caroline Ellen Smith, b. 1 March 1914 in Birdshill, Manitoba, (m. Cyril Shearing, 27 April 1963 in Victoria, BC) Father: Thomas William Smith (1867 - 1946) Mother: Wilhemena Ellen Tohm (1880 - 1957) Married 15 December 1937 in Victoria, British Columbia DESCENDANTS OF RICHARD FOSTER AND CAROLINE SMITH |
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Richard,
or Dick as he preferred to be called, was the fifth of six children
born to
Richard Foster and Esther Chapman of Victoria. Esther was a busy
mother, with five young children to mind while her husband went off to
WWI. Dick attended Central Boy's School and then Victoria High in
about 1928. In 1929, Dick's brother, Jimmy, used some political
influence to help Dick land a job as office boy at the King's Printer.
He stayed for 29 years. In
1945, he became the secretary of the
Victoria branch of the International Brotherhood of Bookbinders and
held the post until his death. Dick was a dedicated homemaker and family man. He loved salmon fishing anywhere but became a familiar face at Brentwood Bay where the family kept the 'ol "double ender", Skipper. He also bowled ten pins, golfed, gardened and puttered in his workshop. He and Carrie were Square Dancers and poker players with a dedicated group of friends. He died from a peritonitis infection following a major operation. |
This obituary appeared in the
Cowichan Leader, a paper edited by Carrie's brother-in-law, Bart
Creighton.
In the garden of the first family home on
Richardson. Dick and
Carrie rented the house for several months before the owner agreed to
accept their rent as payments to purchase. Carol and David
attended Sir James Douglas School. The grounds of the Government
House were directly across the street.
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Dick
is centre at a Queen's Printer office party. The Deputy
Provincial Secretary, in a letter to Carrie, referred to "the wonderful
leather and tool work which Mr. Foster produced." During his 29
years at the Queen's Printer, he completed many special projects
including a souvenir book presented to the Queen in 1959.
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