Phyllis (Green) Foster

Phyllis Foster, age 90, passed away peacefully in her home in Walnut Creek, California on June 20, 2021.

She was born on February 4, 1931 in Hastings. She was the daughter of Ward and Vada Green of Woodland.  She graduated from Woodland High School and Michigan State University, and was an elementary school teacher for many years.

Phyllis (Lissy to her family and many of her friends) married her childhood sweetheart Lachlan (Lach) Foster of Hastings on August 18, 1951, and they enjoyed 55 years of marriage until his passing in 2006.  Following Lach's tour in Korea and study at Yale Law School, she and Lach moved to Los Angeles, California in 1957 where Lach was a corporation lawyer, and in 1958 their daughter Sue was born.  They spent many years in Sierra Madre and Pasadena, in the Los Angeles area, and eventually moved to Irvine, California, near the coast, where Phyllis lived until last year.

Phyllis and Lach enjoyed traveling both in the US and in Europe, visiting Sue and her husband Steve in the San Francisco Bay area, and returning to Michigan to see all their family.  But they never wanted to be away too long from their black Labrador Retrievers, who gave them great joy throughout their lives.  Phyllis took pride in being a loving and effective dog trainer, and in having just plain nice dogs.

Phyllis enjoyed the outdoors, both gardening and learning about nature, and she was quite knowledgeable about the flora of Southern California.  She also enjoyed historic architecture, and was a docent at an historic house, the Gamble House, in Pasadena and spent several years touring people in the house.  After they moved to Irvine, she taught Sunday school at the Methodist Church in her area and later volunteered in administration.

Phyllis and her Labs were a fixture walking in her Irvine neighborhood, and she was known and loved by many of her fellow dog folk.

Phyllis is survived by her daughter Sue Ohanian and Sue's husband Steve, her sister Pat Scheiterlein of Haslett, Michigan, and numerous dear nieces and nephews and extended family members.

She will be buried at Woodland Township Cemetery next to Lach and her family including parents and grandparents.  A graveside remembrance of her life will be held on June 29 at 2:00PM. Services provided by Girrbach Funeral Home, Hastings, Michigan. To leave online condolences visit www.girrbachfuneralhome.net .