Patricia Foster

Patricia J. (James) Foster, age 94, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, June 2, 2020 at Cottage in the Meadow. She was born in Alamosa, Colorado to Glenn and Frances (Teal) Ballew on November 17, 1925. At an early age, she moved to Clinton, Illinois where she was raised. During World War II, she lived in Chicago, Illinois where she worked for the U.S. Treasury Department. After the war, she married Ralph James, her high school sweetheart, and moved to Washington State, eventually settling in Yakima, where they had two children, Dennis and Patricia. For many years, Patricia enjoyed working at Montgomery Ward as a telephone switchboard (PBX) operator, retiring in 1987. In retirement, she loved spending time with her family, shopping with her daughter and doting on her granddaughters. After being widowed for many years, she married Merrill Foster, with whom she enjoyed traveling, movies and baseball. Patricia is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Patricia James and Michael Wendt; her beloved granddaughters, Patricia (Prabhat) Bhama and Caitlin Beggs (Jason Halterman); great-grandchildren, Maya, Neviya and Caleb. She is also survived by her son, Dennis (Heather) James; grandsons, David (Christin) James and Daniel James, and great-grandchildren, Ashleigh and Brendyn. She is preceded in death by her husbands, Ralph James and Merrill Foster. A special thank you to Dr. David Doornink and his nurses, Sarah and Val for their care and support, and to Cottage in the Meadow nurses, Gayle and Katie for their comfort and kindness. At Patricia’s request, there will be no funeral service. The family will gather at a later date to celebrate her life. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Patricia Foster, please visit our flower store.