Noel Foster

Noel “Bill” Foster , an adventurous, strong willed, hard working, wise, kind and fair gentleman with a good sense of humor, passed away at the Life Care Center of Jacksonville on March 1, 2010, after battling Leukemia for a few months. Noel was 81. He was born on October 8, 1928, in the village of Patrington Yorks, near the city of Hull, in Yorkshire, England to Noel and Grace Foster. He had an older sister Jean.

He joined the British Army as a Guardsman in the Second Battalion, Coldstream Guards, in 1944. He served initially in Malaya, where he was fought in the successful campaign against the communist insurgency. He was then posted to Wellington Barracks in London, close to Buckingham Palace, from where he performed palace and other royal duties.

In 1947 while working in London, Bill met his future wife Mary Margaret McCarthy, known as Marie. Bill married Marie on 18th September 1951. After leaving the army, Bill was employed in the paper industry, on the south bank of the River Thames, a few miles east of London, but he when he heard about a brand new paper plant starting up in Cali, Colombia, he decided to take his young family there on a three year contract. Twenty five years later he was still there, but decided that the time was right to move on and settled in Jacksonville. He made very good life long friends through his work in the paper industry.

Bill was preceded in death by his loving wife Marie, who passed away in August 2008. He is survived by his son Mark Foster of Eastbourne, England, his daughter Lindsay Ann Smith of Cambridge, England, and his daughter Alison Patricia Semerene of Jacksonville, 11 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren. Rest in peace dearest Noel. Funeral services will be held at 4:00 p.m. Saturday, March 20, 2010 in the Chapel of HARDAGE-GIDDENS CHAPEL HILLS FUNERAL HOME, 850 St. Johns Bluff Rd. The family will receive friends for a memorial service, on Saturday March 20, 2010 4:00 p.m. at the funeral home.