Robert Lee Foss passed away Friday, Dec. 30, 2011, due to a stroke, at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Lewiston.
He was born June 8, 1926, at White's Hospital in Lewiston, to Clarence and Alta Stember Foss. He grew up on the family farm in Lapwai and graduated as valedictorian from Lapwai High School in 1943. He married Bernice Heimgartner in 1944.
Robert was a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army during World War II, and spent time in the Philippines. After the war, he farmed and worked for the Lapwai school district before moving to California to attend A&E school for aircraft mechanics. He worked for both Pan Am and United Airlines in Northern California, and then with the Stanford Research Institute, where he was employed for 21 years on early satellite, including Gemini, tracking and communications programs, until his retirement in 1982. After his retirement he moved back to the Lapwai family farm with his wife Bernice, where they have lived since.
Robert was a distinguished 33rd Degree Scottish Rite Freemason who has been active in the Nez Perce Masonic Lodge and Lewiston Scottish Rite Lodge of Perfection for more than 50 years. He has been a member of the Lapwai Valley Presbyterian Church since 1948 and served as both elder and treasurer. Since 1989, Robert has served on the board of directors for the Clearwater Power Company, including a term as president. His hobbies included ham radio, mechanics, and computers.
Robert is survived by his wife of 67 years, Bernice; sister Marylyn St. Jeor of Beaverton, Ore.; daughter of Portland, Ore.; son of Mountain View, Calif.; and son of Lapwai; 10 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Sharon Freeman.
A memorial service will be conducted at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Masonic Lodge in Lewiston, 1122 18th Ave. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent to the American Cancer Society or a charity of choice.
Lewiston Tribune. January 4, 2012
He was born June 8, 1926, at White's Hospital in Lewiston, to Clarence and Alta Stember Foss. He grew up on the family farm in Lapwai and graduated as valedictorian from Lapwai High School in 1943. He married Bernice Heimgartner in 1944.
Robert was a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army during World War II, and spent time in the Philippines. After the war, he farmed and worked for the Lapwai school district before moving to California to attend A&E school for aircraft mechanics. He worked for both Pan Am and United Airlines in Northern California, and then with the Stanford Research Institute, where he was employed for 21 years on early satellite, including Gemini, tracking and communications programs, until his retirement in 1982. After his retirement he moved back to the Lapwai family farm with his wife Bernice, where they have lived since.
Robert was a distinguished 33rd Degree Scottish Rite Freemason who has been active in the Nez Perce Masonic Lodge and Lewiston Scottish Rite Lodge of Perfection for more than 50 years. He has been a member of the Lapwai Valley Presbyterian Church since 1948 and served as both elder and treasurer. Since 1989, Robert has served on the board of directors for the Clearwater Power Company, including a term as president. His hobbies included ham radio, mechanics, and computers.
Robert is survived by his wife of 67 years, Bernice; sister Marylyn St. Jeor of Beaverton, Ore.; daughter of Portland, Ore.; son of Mountain View, Calif.; and son of Lapwai; 10 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Sharon Freeman.
A memorial service will be conducted at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Masonic Lodge in Lewiston, 1122 18th Ave. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent to the American Cancer Society or a charity of choice.
Lewiston Tribune. January 4, 2012
Robert Lee Foss passed away Friday, Dec. 30, 2011, due to a stroke, at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Lewiston.
He was born June 8, 1926, at White's Hospital in Lewiston, to Clarence and Alta Stember Foss. He grew up on the family farm in Lapwai and graduated as valedictorian from Lapwai High School in 1943. He married Bernice Heimgartner in 1944.
Robert was a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army during World War II, and spent time in the Philippines. After the war, he farmed and worked for the Lapwai school district before moving to California to attend A&E school for aircraft mechanics. He worked for both Pan Am and United Airlines in Northern California, and then with the Stanford Research Institute, where he was employed for 21 years on early satellite, including Gemini, tracking and communications programs, until his retirement in 1982. After his retirement he moved back to the Lapwai family farm with his wife Bernice, where they have lived since.
Robert was a distinguished 33rd Degree Scottish Rite Freemason who has been active in the Nez Perce Masonic Lodge and Lewiston Scottish Rite Lodge of Perfection for more than 50 years. He has been a member of the Lapwai Valley Presbyterian Church since 1948 and served as both elder and treasurer. Since 1989, Robert has served on the board of directors for the Clearwater Power Company, including a term as president. His hobbies included ham radio, mechanics, and computers.
Robert is survived by his wife of 67 years, Bernice; sister Marylyn St. Jeor of Beaverton, Ore.; daughter of Portland, Ore.; son of Mountain View, Calif.; and son of Lapwai; 10 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Sharon Freeman.
A memorial service will be conducted at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Masonic Lodge in Lewiston, 1122 18th Ave. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent to the American Cancer Society or a charity of choice.
Lewiston Tribune. January 4, 2012
He was born June 8, 1926, at White's Hospital in Lewiston, to Clarence and Alta Stember Foss. He grew up on the family farm in Lapwai and graduated as valedictorian from Lapwai High School in 1943. He married Bernice Heimgartner in 1944.
Robert was a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army during World War II, and spent time in the Philippines. After the war, he farmed and worked for the Lapwai school district before moving to California to attend A&E school for aircraft mechanics. He worked for both Pan Am and United Airlines in Northern California, and then with the Stanford Research Institute, where he was employed for 21 years on early satellite, including Gemini, tracking and communications programs, until his retirement in 1982. After his retirement he moved back to the Lapwai family farm with his wife Bernice, where they have lived since.
Robert was a distinguished 33rd Degree Scottish Rite Freemason who has been active in the Nez Perce Masonic Lodge and Lewiston Scottish Rite Lodge of Perfection for more than 50 years. He has been a member of the Lapwai Valley Presbyterian Church since 1948 and served as both elder and treasurer. Since 1989, Robert has served on the board of directors for the Clearwater Power Company, including a term as president. His hobbies included ham radio, mechanics, and computers.
Robert is survived by his wife of 67 years, Bernice; sister Marylyn St. Jeor of Beaverton, Ore.; daughter of Portland, Ore.; son of Mountain View, Calif.; and son of Lapwai; 10 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Sharon Freeman.
A memorial service will be conducted at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Masonic Lodge in Lewiston, 1122 18th Ave. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent to the American Cancer Society or a charity of choice.
Lewiston Tribune. January 4, 2012
Inscription
SSgt US Army World War II Married 67 Yrs
Family Members
Siblings
Children
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Advertisement
