Gayle E. Foster

Gayle E. Rumple Foster 93, currently of Springfield, MA, passed away on Tuesday, December 24, 2013. She was born on January 26, 1920 in Morgan County, IN to Alva and Hertha Rumple. Gayle graduated from Bloomington, Indiana High School. She held a number office positions before joining Unified Underwriters; she retired as Assistant Secretary and Treasurer of Unified Funds. She was an excellent cook and seamstress. She was a member of West Morris Street Free Methodist church; she sang in the choir, taught Sunday school and was a frequent hostess for visiting ministers and musicians. Even in her final days children were a special source of joy. She is survived by her husband of 72 years, E. Ralph Foster; children Michael (Jeanne) Foster and Brenda (David) Rice; 4 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren. Gayle is also survived by her sister, Phyllis Black and brother, Stanley Rumple. She was preceded in death by siblings, Lois, Rose, Norman, Alva and Marvin. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, December 28, 2013 in the West Morris Street Free Methodist Church, 2302 W. Morris St., Indianapolis IN at 11:00 a.m., with visitation beginning at 10 a.m. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to West Morris Street Free Methodist Church, designated "Mission to Haiti," or to "Loomis Lakeside at Reeds Landing," Skilled Nursing Center at https://loomiscommunities.worldsecuresystems.com/giving. You are invited to go to the Guest Book page to pass along your personal message or tell a story. Sincerely, -Your friends at Flanner and Buchanan Additional tribute from the funeral service bulletin: Gayle was born the second oldest of 8 children to Hertha and Alva Rumple in rural Morgan County, Indiana on January 26, 1920. She graduated from Bloomington, Indiana High School. Soon after, her family moved to Indianapolis where she worked a variety of jobs. She began attending West Morris Street Free Methodist Church, where she met her future husband, E. Ralph Foster. They were married on August 8, 1941. She and Ralph were members of that church for the remainder of their lives. She assumed the role of head of household in 1943 when Ralph was called to serve in the Navy on a troop transport in the South Pacific. Their son, Michael, was born in January 12, 1943, and their daughter, Brenda, was born on February 4, 1945. Gayle was fortunate to have four grandchildren. Their son Michael and his wife Jeanne have two sons, Philip (June) and Paul (Katie). Their daughter Brenda and her husband David have two daughters, Kristina and Barbara (David). Gayle always loved children. She was blessed to have eight great-grandchildren: Kayla, Nathan, Gabriella, Jessica, Isaac, Jay, Patrick, and Avery. Even when she was suffering from dementia, she smiled and often waved when she saw a youngster. Gayle learned to cook at an early age, and she was a wonderful cook until she started forgetting recipes due to her dementia. Her family and friends enjoyed her special dinners of roast beef, ham, and pork tenderloin; she also made chicken salad sandwiches for many family gatherings. Everyone loved her great pies, especially black raspberry and coconut cream, as well as the Christmas favorites of butterhorns, pecan tassies, and sour cream cake. She was a gracious hostess, often opening her home to visiting church evangelists and part time choir directors, Greenville College choir members, and her children's friends. Gayle was a talented do-it-yourselfer. She sewed most of her clothes, often completing a dress or suit in less than a week. She also sewed many of her daughter's clothes, even making and sending special dresses to her at college. For many years, she sewed flannel pajamas and nightgowns for her grandchildren. Gayle could also do interior and exterior house painting, wallpapering, lamp rewiring, picture hanging, and other routine household maintenance projects. She sang in the church choir and taught Sunday School. While having no formal training, she became a skilled secretary and bookkeeper. She held a variety of office positions while her children were young, often quitting her job for the summer and then returning to the work force once school started. In the 1960s, she began working for Unified Underwriters, a securities company and worked with several mutual funds. She worked initially as a bookkeeper and rose steadily in the organization to the position of Assistant Secretary and Treasurer of Unified Funds. Only her lack of a college degree kept her from further advancement in the organization. She worked in this position until her retirement in 1982. Gayle and Ralph spent their retirement years traveling, including a European tour that included visiting Ralph's relatives in Germany. They also took a cruise around the Hawaiian Islands as well as one to Alaska. Additionally they made several trips to both Gatlinburg and Branson. They enjoyed playing cards with family and church friends and dining out, especially taking advantage of the "early bird specials" prevalent during their early retirement years. Later, Gayle had her own favorite booth at the Longhorn Restaurant on Rockville Road and was on a first name basis with the servers at the local Cracker Barrel. Gayle and Ralph moved to the West Side Garden Plaza Independent Living Community in March 2010. They then moved to Reeds Landing Assisted Living Community in Springfield, Massachusetts in October 2012. This move allowed them to be close to Michael and his family who all live in Springfield.