Hazel Hux Foster

Beloved wife, devoted mother and grandmother, and dear friend to many, Mrs. Hazel Hux Foster, of Raleigh, NC, peacefully passed into eternity on May 7, 2020 at The Cardinal at North Hills. Mrs. Foster, who celebrated her 90th birthday only a week earlier, was born April 30, 1930 in Halifax County, the daughter of Robert Sleigh Hux and Effie Rowland Hux. Raised in the region’s tobacco farming tradition, Mrs. Foster was beloved by her brothers and other close family relations, often recounting fondly the events of her childhood on the farm.

A lifelong pioneer, Mrs. Foster was one of the first to advocate for women’s basketball as a star on the Aurelian Springs High School women’s team and proudly recalled her love for the full court version of the game. After graduation, at the age of 18 Mrs. Foster relocated to the “big city” of Raleigh. She served for 30 years as a service and marketing representative for Southern Bell, where in her early years she was the cover girl for the company’s marketing literature on new product releases.

Hazel Hux met the love of her life and lifelong champion while ballroom dancing in downtown Raleigh. She and Marion Jackson Foster wed on April 30, 1960 and their lives intertwined for the next 55-plus years.

Mrs. Foster’s greatest joy was time with her husband and family. She could be found during fall weekends on the Grounds of The University of Virginia enjoying football games, during summer evenings on her backyard patio hosting gatherings of family and friends, and throwing herself year-round into family endeavors ranging from athletic competitions to political campaigns.

Her love of the outdoors was strong and vibrant, exemplified by her many hours gardening and caring for her “Grand Dogs.” She also loved travel, venturing to Cuba, Russia, Israel, Alaska, London, and Montreal and crossing the country with her husband. Mrs. Foster spent many hours volunteering in the clothes closet of First Baptist Church of Raleigh and made many special friends there.

Mrs. Foster was preceded in death by her husband, Marion Jackson Foster; son John William Foster; and granddaughter Colleen Victoria Foster, as well as by her parents, brothers Milbert and Robert, and infant brother.

Her legacy lives on in two sons, David Marion Foster (and wife Martha) of Arlington, Virginia and Mark Stephen Foster of Raleigh; three daughters, Carolyn Jean Foster Goolsby (and husband Daniel) of Cary, Mary Helen Foster Pennoyer (and husband Kenneth) of Durham, and Martha Christian Foster of Raleigh; brothers Charles “Frog” Hux and Percy Ray Hux; grandchildren Kenneth Alexander Foster and Kathleen Frances Goolsby; and several nephews and nieces.

Mrs. Foster will be laid to rest next to her husband at Raleigh Memorial Park in a private ceremony.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests charitable donations to the Colleen Victoria Foster Endowment, Shenandoah University, Attn: Greeley Myers, 1460 University Drive, Winchester, VA 22601 (or online at www.su.edu/giving) or to Transitions LifeCare, 250 Hospice Circle, Raleigh, NC 26707 (or online at www.transitionslifecare.org).

Arrangements are being made by Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, Saint Mary's St., Raleigh.