Matthew John Foster was born in Austin, Texas on June 26, 1957 to Albert L. and Clara Louise Foster, long-time residents of Marietta and Love County.  Matthew passed suddenly from this world on April 26, 2017 in Edmond, OK following years of troubled health.  Matthew was a grandson of Albert A. and Cleta Louise Foster, and a great-grandson of William and Cora England Foster, and C.C. and Addie Splawn Mathews.  Matthew’s father Albert, who preceded him in death on March 20, 2016, grew up in Marietta and lived on the family farm there for many years with his wife Clara after they retired.
 
Because his father was in the U.S. Air Force, Matthew lived in many cities while growing up, including Austin, Kansas City, Midwest City, Las Vegas, and Tachikawa, Japan.  The family eventually settled in Midwest City near Tinker A.F.B.  Matthew graduated from Classen High School in 1974, and then enlisted with the U.S. Marines.  Following his discharge in 1978, Matthew began college studies at Rose State College in Midwest City from 1979 to 1983, and also spent time with his adopted second family Kenneth and Margaret Southworth of Oklahoma City.  Matthew worked in a variety of fields, including as a welder and an electrician, and was a proud member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1141 of Oklahoma City.  He also worked for a time as an independent truck driver, following in the family tradition of taking to life on the road.  He eventually settled in central Oklahoma, living in Blanchard before moving to the Rolling Green Apartments in Edmond.
 
Matthew accomplished an impressive feat late in his life:  he returned to college, studying history and creative writing at Oklahoma Central University in Edmond.  His parents and family proudly attended his graduation where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree on May 5, 2012. 
 
Matthew was a devoted son.  He divided his time in recent years between his home in Edmond and helping care for his parents at the Marietta farm.  He particularly enjoyed landscaping and gardening activities there, and caring for two puppies abandoned by the roadside that he adopted and named “Scruffy” and “Sweetie.”  He also relished cooking and preparing foods from scratch, including homemade jellies, salsas and sausages.  His love for his dogs, his passion for the Oklahoma City Thunder, and his generally upbeat and loving nature will be long remembered by his family, friends and neighbors.  Matthew was a kind and loving soul, a man of many passions and principles, deeply devoted to God, who faced many health challenges but never complained and always tried to be compassionate to others and close to his family.   He is perhaps best summed up by a former email address name he used: “disciplefollowerstudent.”
 
Matthew is survived by his loving mother, Clara Foster, of Marietta and four grieving siblings: Michael Foster and his wife Barbara Measelle of Fort Worth, TX; Thomas Foster and his wife Amy of Greenville, TX; Jody Foster and her husband Bruce Cain of Bethesda, MD and Stanford, CA; and Sandra Foster of Bastrop, TX.  He is also survived by his loving aunt Lancine Beck and cousins David and Susie Allison of Haslet, TX, and four nephews: David Foster of San Diego, CA; Eric Foster and his wife Jamie of Frisco, TX; Carl Foster of Prague, Czechoslovakia; and Tobin Bell, of Bethesda, MD and Stanford, CA.