Joy Ida May Foster
Marriages
Paul Foster - June 30, 1945
In Collbran, Colorado
Obituaries
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 8A Death Notice - July 21, 2017
Joy Ida May Foster, 96, Grand Junction, died July 16, 2017, at
La Villa Grande Care Center.
Services will be at a later date.
She was a homemaker.
Survivors include her husband, Paul; three sons, Paul Jr. of
Monte Vista, Kent of Grand Junction and Brad of Edwards; one
sister, Betty Morrison of Fort Collins; six grandchildren; and seven
great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions to Crossroads Methodist Church, 590
30 Road, Grand Junction 81504.
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 3D Obituary - July 23, 2017
Joy was born at the Johnson
Ranch west of Molina, CO to
Neal B. and Cecelia Culp
Johnson. Her middle names
were from her grandmothers.
Joy’s mother died when Joy
was eight. She and her
younger sister, Betty, were
raised by their dad with the
help of hired housekeepers
and their grandmother, Ida
Johnson. Joy and Betty became the homemakers after Ida’s
death in 1934.
Joy attended Bull Creek School, Collbran Union High School,
and Mesa Jr. College. She graduated in 1941 with a business
degree. After college, she went to work as a medical secretary
for Dr. Zeigel at the Collbran Community Hospital. Joy went on
to help with surgery and other medical procedures.
Joy met her husband, Paul, while working at the hospital. He
was home on furlough from the Army during WWII and came
to visit a cousin in the hospital. The cousin suggested that Paul
take Joy out, so they went to see a movie. They began writing to
each other while Paul continued his service in the Army. They
were engaged in 1943, and married on June 30, 1945 in
Collbran. They recently celebrated their 72nd wedding
anniversary.
In 1947 they moved to Rifle, Colorado where Paul taught
Vocational Agriculture. Their three sons, Paul, Kent, and Brad,
were born while they lived there. Joy was active as a Cub Scout
den mother, a Sunday School teacher, and a Census Taker. In
1963, Paul was promoted to the State of Colorado Vocational
Office in Denver, so they moved to Englewood (now
Centennial), Colorado. Joy canned fruit, made pickles, and
otherwise preserved the bounty of their suburban garden to
enjoy during the winter months. She was an excellent cook and
seamstress.
After her sons were in high school, Joy began her art career.
She took lessons and diligently improved her painting. She
worked in watercolor on handmade paper and painted floral still
life, landscapes, and copies of Native American petroglyphs.
Joy was a lifetime member of the Colorado Water Color
Society, a member of the Littleton Fine Arts Guild and was
instrumental in revitalizing the Littleton Train Depot into an art
center. With other artists, she founded a cooperative gallery in
Georgetown, Colorado, and was an active member for 30 years.
Joy and Paul traveled extensively in the U.S. and abroad. As a
lifetime member of the Colorado Rock Art Association, she
traveled throughout the Southwest to visit petroglyph sites that
she later made into watercolors. Joy loved planning family gettogethers
to celebrate holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries. She
honored her American heritage as a member of the Daughters of
the American Revolution.
She is survived by her husband, Paul; sister, Betty Johnson
Morrison of Ft Collins; cousin, Irvin (Paula) Johnson of Molina;
sons, Paul (Lynda) of Monte Vista; Kent (Cathy) of Grand
Junction; Brad (Ellen) of Edwards; six grandchildren, and seven
great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, July 29, 2017, at
Crossroads Methodist Church, 559 30 Rd., Grand Junction, CO.
In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to
Crossroads Methodist Church, 590 30 Rd, Grand Junction, CO
81504 or HopeWest Hospice, 3090B North 12 Street, Grand
Junction, CO 81506.
