Foss obituaries, Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana

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Name,  date of obit,  date submitted,  submitted for the USGenWeb Archives by:

Foss, Roger R.            23 Oct 2007    Oct 2007    Jerry Nelson

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Obituary published in The Advocate (Baton Rouge):  10/23/2007

FOSS, ROGER R. 
Roger R. Foss, 69, of Philo, Ill., died Saturday, Oct. 20, 2007, at Carle
Foundation Hospital, Urbana, from heart complications following knee
replacement surgery. The second of four sons, Roger was born on May 18,
1938, to Nile B. and Bernice Grace Saums Foss in the small town of St.
Francisville in Lawrence County, Ill. Mr. Foss attended elementary schools
in St. Francisville and graduated from Arcola High School in 1956. He was a
member of the high school choral group and the Presbyterian Church in
Arcola, where he sang in the choir. Mr. Foss served in the U.S. Army from
1958-59 in Headquarters U.S. Army, Heidelberg, Germany, for 18 months,
where he received a letter of commendation from Maj. Gen. Harold K. Johnson
and early release in order to attend Eastern Illinois University. Shortly
after moving to Pensacola, Fla., and enrolling in Pensacola Junior College,
he was introduced to Mary Earleen Hoyle. They were married Sept. 30, 1961.
Mr. Foss found employment on Oct. 30, 1960, at Industrial Piping Supply, an
industrial distributor of valve and fitting to the local industry, driving
a truck and working in the warehouse. He was promoted to inside sales.
After splitting off with three others to form their own company, Piping and
Equipment, Mr. Foss, his wife Earleen, and infant son, Greg, moved to Baton
Rouge, in 1964, to help start one of ultimately several locations. It was
here, as co-owner and vice president and until his retirement in 1999, that
Mr. Foss worked consistently displaying a unique and rare sense of fairness
and integrity. These same qualities contributed to his equal and even
greater success as a husband and father. His patience, humor, varied
interests and infectious enthusiasm will leave a positive and lasting mark
on his family and friends. His most endearing trait was his gift of
encouragement and enthusiasm which inspired many with whom he came in
contact. His passions were his family, church, genealogy, reading and walks
with his Border Collie, Cody, at the dog park. He was a skilled craftsman
and avid runner/biker. Mr. Foss was a trustee of Philo Presbyterian Church,
where one of his favorite activities was the men's Tuesday morning coffee.
Mr. Foss is survived by his wife of 42 years, Earleen; sons, Greg R. Foss
and wife Jan, of Shepperdsville, Ky., and Brian S. Foss and his wife, Kim,
of Madison, Ala.; grandchildren, Amanda Melaine and Garrett Matthew Foss,
both of Shepperdsville, and Annie Charlotte, Nile Hopson and Mary Saums
Foss, all of Madison; and brothers, Donald Nile Foss and wife Clara, of
Oklahoma City, Okla., Steven Foss and wife Joann of Navarre, Fla., and
Michael Foss and wife Anna, of Springfield, Mass. Mr. Foss was preceded in
death by his parents, Nile and Grace Saums Foss. Visitation at Philo
Presbyterian Church, 105 E. Jefferson St., Philo, on Wednesday Oct. 24,
from 9 a.m. until funeral service at 11 a.m. Burial in Locust Grove
Cemetery, Philo. Pallbearers will be Mr. Foss' friends and family. In lieu
of flowers, memorials contributions may be made to Philo Presbyterian
Church, 105 E. Jefferson St., Philo, IL 61864. Arrangements by Freese
Funeral Home, Tolono, Ill.  

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