Liana Gaye Longato-Foster

Liana Longato-Foster crossed over into the arms of her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on October 26th, 2022, she was 52 years old. Liana was born on the fourth of July in Detroit, Michigan to Guilio and Pamela Longato. Her husband Mike Foster (55) often lovingly referred to her as his "firecracker baby" due to her sassy yet sweet personality. The two met on campus at Michigan State University of which both were graduates. Mike always said he didn't want to marry anyone "boring" and he certainly had his hands full with such a beautiful and strong spirit in Liana. He often told her she was lucky to marry him since she, "would have killed ten ordinary men by now." From their first date on June 11, 1992 they both said it felt as though they knew each other their whole lives, and their love and deep connection to one another was clear from the beginning. Mike proposed to Liana on her graduation day and they were married on December 10, 1994. They were inseparable from the moment they met, and were devoted to one another putting Christ in the center of their lives for over 30 years.

Liana loved the outdoors and HATED winter! She was a beach girl through and through and the winter months really took a toll on her health. Mike, Liana and their two boys Noah Foster (20) and Graham Foster (18) took frequent trips to the beach during the summer months to Lake Michigan. Their favorite beach was Holland State Park along with Oval Beach in Saugatuck, and they recently discovered PJ Hoffmaster State Park. But her true love was the ocean so their family made many trips to Florida to shake off the cold of the winter. They in particular loved Siesta Key and Fort Myers and had planned to possibly live there part-time during their retirement years. Liana also loved her bike and would ride it often on the East Lansing trail and Kensington Park, but their favorite place to ride was on the trail in Petoskey, Michigan along the Little Traverse Bay. Petoskey was a special place for them and was also in the future for the couple in that they wanted to move there during the warm months in Michigan. Liana also loved playing board games with her family and usually won most of the games she played. Mike and the boys often accused her of cheating with Mike's mother Sheryl Snow, (Her husband Bob Snow) wisely stayed out of the controversy, but she will have to deal with that one before the Lord! :) Mike and Liana often took long walks together with their dog Chester who adored her. She always wanted a dog that she could call her own and Chester certainly filled the need for her. He followed her literally everywhere in the house, in fact, Mike always knew when Liana was coming down the stairs in their two story home because he would hear Chester bounding down the steps in front of her.

What Liana loved MOST was her family. Her two boys were her world and raising them was her crowning achievement. When the boys were born Mike and Liana made a decision to have her quit her job and stay home full time to invest in their lives. It was a decision they never regretted. Christ is first and foremost in their family and it was critically important to them both to raise their sons with Biblical values and put their faith in Jesus Christ. Liana, with her teaching background, created all kinds of lesson plans over the years and heavily invested in her boys, raising them in the Christian faith. She often said that those were the happiest years of her life being home with the boys... and it showed. She was a world class mother and mentor to her children.

Liana also invested in her niece Izzy, the daughter of her sister Aimee Gudme and her husband Brad. This past summer she spent time just "hanging out" and investing in her life and ordering Christian magazines for her to enjoy. Her faith in Jesus Christ was the absolute center in her life. If you would like a sense of who Liana truly was, it can be found in Proverbs 31: 10-31. She truly was a woman of "Noble Character" and she will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her.

Liana's viewing will be held at Gorsline Runciman located at 1730 E Grand River Ave, East Lansing, Michigan on Monday, October 31st from 3-5 pm and from 6-8pm. Her funeral will be held Wednesday, November 2 at New Hope Church located at 2170 East Saginaw Street, East Lansing, Michigan. Public viewing will begin at 10 am, followed by service at 11:00. Lunch will be served immediately following the service. She will be laid to rest at 2:00 at the Laingsburg Cemetery.

Memorial contributions are suggested to Noah and Graham's education fund.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/fund-for-the-foster-boys-education?qid=3ff691f4d193b301b5d7ef33de0c862e