Gail Foster

Obituary For Gail Foster

Gail Smith Foster, 78, entered eternal rest on Friday, October 20, 2023. She was born August 24, 1945 in Spartanburg, South Carolina. She was the daughter of the late William Herbert and Claudia Frey Smith.

Gail was a graduate of Lincoln High School. She furthered her education at Claflin College in Orangeburg, South Carolina and Livingston College in Salisbury, North Carolina where she majored in Music.

Music was her life. She was known throughout South Carolina, North Carolina,Georgia, New York, New Jersey, Washington, D.C, and Alabama for playing the organ and piano. She also traveled to Puerto Rico, where she was the musician for Margaret Santiago and arranged the music. She furthermore arranged music for the former Miss Clarissa Lester who won Miss Black Spartanburg. With that same music, Clarissa went on to become Miss Black USA. Gail Foster is a name known by all churches throughout.Gail was a people person known for the ability to TALK. She never met a stranger and she loved to laugh.

She was very active in her community. She attended Mt. Moriah Baptist Church where she sang on the Mt. Moriah Workshop Choir and played the piano for the male chorus. Gail also was the musician for the Silver Hill United Methodist Church Male Chorus.

She was a member of the Red Hat Society: Sisters of Leisure, the Eastern Star at Fairforest Baptist Church and a musician for The J.W. Woodward Funeral Home.

Gail is survived by: her husband, James William Foster of the home; one daughter, Pamela Cummings (Anthony) of Loganville, GA; one grandson, Jayden Collins of Loganville, GA; one stepson, Daryl Porter (Rhonda) of Spartanburg, SC; three sisters, Rita Lester (Larry) of Jacksonville, Florida, June Pelzer (Samuel) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Nadine Ray (Larry) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; close childhood friend, Kay Woodward; dear friends, Hattie Long, Marilyn Porter and Carolyn Moore; her extended family,the Hawes; and a host of cousins and many other friends.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by one brother, Calvin
Smith.

A Celebration of the Life of Gail Foster will be held on Sunday, October 29, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. at Mt. Moriah Baptist Church, 445 S. Church St., Spartanburg, SC. Burial will be in the Lincoln Memorial Gardens, 2256 Cannons Campground Rd., Drayton, SC.

Visitation will be held on Saturday, October 28, 2023 from 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. at The John Stinson Woodward Memorial Chapel, 602 Howard St., Spartanburg, SC. Musical Tributes will follow from 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. in the chapel.

Honor the life of Gail Foster

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