Marvin Elias Foster

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Marvin E. Foster, age 95, at the Upper River Valley Hospital. We take comfort in knowing Dad is now with His Lord and Saviour and with his beloved wife, Gladys, whom he has missed dearly since her passing in April, 2021.

Dad lived and worked his entire life within a few miles of his birthplace on Green Mountain, NB. From working in lumber camps in his mid-teens, to running his own pulpwood contract business, to touring the woods as a Game Warden with NB Natural Resources, Dad loved hard work and being outdoors. A self-taught carpenter and jack-of-all-trades, Dad could build or fix just about anything. His first major project was building his and Mom’s dream home on the shore of North Lake in the early 1970s using trees he personally selected and cut himself. He went on to build cottages for two of his children and completed countless home repairs for local lake owners over the years.

As busy as Dad was, he always made time for fun. From being the designated driver for his cousins and best friends, Freeman and Tommy, in his teens, to exploring every back road and trail in the area by snowmobile and ATV, Dad was always up for an adventure. This included boating on North Lake with his homemade water-skiing contraptions with his special New Jersey friends and zip-lining across the Grand Falls gorge just before his 84th birthday with his son Tracy and granddaughter Erika.

Dad’s most important role, in his eyes, was that of a loving husband, father, and grandparent. He always said he loved Mom from the moment he met her skating on North Lake through every day of their 70 years of marriage. They had a love of dancing, first at the music halls as teenagers (despite a few challenges with Grampy Armour giving consent) to square dancing in later years. They travelled but were probably the happiest spending time together with family and friends at North Lake. Dad took his role as father seriously even to the very end. He always wanted to know what was going on in each of our lives.

Dad is survived by his three children: Greg (Jane) Foster of North Lake NB; Lucy (Greg) MacDonald of Cole Harbour NS and Tracy (Luann) Foster of Moncton NB.

He will be forever cherished in the hearts of his beloved grandchildren: Angela (Mike) Kelly of Saint John NB; Amy Foster (Christian Crete) of Montreal QC; Erika Hachey (Guillaume Aubé) of Fredericton NB; Jordan MacDonald (Kelly Campbell) of Cole Harbour NS and Jessica MacDonald of Halifax NS as well as lovingly remembered by his great-grandchildren: Abigail, Carson, Eleanor and Elias.

Dad is also survived by his brother and sister-in-law, Curtis and Donna Foster, and brother-in-law Hans Schwerdel, as well as several nieces, nephews and cousins.

Besides Mom, Dad was predeceased by his parents Elias and Florence (McNerlin) Foster, his brother Gordon Foster, and his sisters Mary Alice Graham and Kathryn Foster.

Dad was sad to leave North Lake, but he was grateful for the good friends he made at Riverside Court during his almost 5 years there. We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to all the healthcare staff at RSC who cared for Dad so lovingly, especially in his final weeks. A special thank you to Susan and Cleo, who went above and beyond to make his last days as comfortable as possible.

Resting at the Scott Funeral Home, 815 Main Street, Woodstock, NB  

At Dad’s request, there will be a private family visitation earlier in the day, followed by a short graveside service on Thursday, August 6, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. at Upper Fosterville Cemetery. 

The graveside service is open to anyone who would like to join us in remembering Dad. Instead of flowers, donations may be made to the Fosterville Cemetery.

www.scottfh.com