Foster

William E. "Bill" Foster, 84, of Wadsworth, Ohio, formerly of Butler, died Sunday.

Born May 29, 1923, in Butler, he was the son of Frank F. and Grace Coleman Foster.

He was a graduate of Butler High School and was the class president of the Class of 1941. He attended the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and Bucknell University. He retired in 1985 as a banking officer at Mellon Bank after 44 years.

Mr. Foster was a staff sergeant in the Army and served in the European theater during World War II.

He was a member of the North Street Christian Church. Bill was active in many civic organizations and clubs. He was an original board member of the United Cerebral Palsy of Butler, Beaver and Lawrence Counties. He was appointed by the governor to the Board of the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare and was a member of the Butler Chamber of Commerce, Kiwanis, the Lions and the Butler Little Theatre. He also was treasurer and a board member of the Butler Chapter of the American Red Cross. He was a life member of B.P.O. Elks 170, having served as treasurer and on the building planning committee. He also was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Butler Historical Society and a lifetime member of the Butler Country Club.

To say that Bill was musical is an understatement, indeed. He had a tenor voice like an angel and was active for almost 50 years in the Barbershop Harmony Society, formerly known as the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America. He performed for years with a well-known local quartet, the Bon-Aires and also in quartets, the Time-Out and the Singing Butlers. He was a member of the Butler Notables Chorus and served three terms as treasurer of the Butler Chapter.

Bill was well loved by all who knew him and people commented often about his graciousness and wonderful sense of humor.

Mr. Foster was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 52 years, Patricia Ann Green Foster, who he married Sept. 15, 1948; and by two brothers, Forrest and Frank.

He is survived by two daughters, Leslie (David) Critchfield of Wadsworth and Megan Foster of Blacksburg, Va.; a son, Eric (Shobhi) Foster of Philadelphia; three granddaughters, Kiersti (Matthew) Critchfield-Carty, Sara Critchfield and Maya Foster; four great-grandchildren; two sisters, Allene Rattigan and Grace Fisher of Las Vegas; a brother, Hugh (Georgette) Foster of Chicago; and many nieces and nephews.

A special thanks to the wonderful staff at Liberty II Assisted Living Center in Wadsworth, where Bill lived for the past five years; and to the angel-nurses and staff at the Inn of Medina and the Medina County Hospice, who cared for Bill so lovingly for the final days of his life.

<B>FOSTER</B> — Friends of William E. "Bill" Foster, who died Sunday, April 20, 2008, will be received from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at the <B>Thompson-Miller Funeral Home</B>, 124 E. North St. Services will follow at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the Mausoleum at Calvary Cemetery with the Rev. Bob Huber, his church pastor, officiating. Burial will follow at the Calvary Cemetery.Contributions may be made to Barbershop Harmony Society, 110 Seventh Ave. North, Nashville, TN 37201-3704.Information and a private guest book are available at www.thompson-miller.com.