Barbara Elizabeth Foster

A longtime resident of San Francisco, Barbara died peacefully in her home in the company of family and caregivers. She was 97.

An artist and supporter of the arts, Barbara's creative spirit was an inspiration to all who knew her. She was famous for her verbal dexterity and delightful sense of humor. Her laughter and her strength of character will be missed.

The daughter of Fred and Marie Keast, Barbara was soon joined by brothers John and Fred. Her childhood was spent playing and hiking in the hills of Oakland and Mill Valley.

Soon after graduation from Hamlin's School she married Peter Johnson Lowe. After living for a short time in San Francisco's North Beach, the couple moved to Mill Valley and, with architect William Wurster, built a house of her own design on Lovell Avenue.

During WWII they moved to Ft. Bragg where Peter worked for the Union Lumber Company.

After ten years in Mendocino County the family returned to San Francisco, where Barbara pursued her interests in the arts.

Drawn to the San Francisco Art Institute and the mid-century Bay Area Figurative Movement, Barbara studied painting with many of the leading artists of that unique era, including Richard Diebenkorn, Ralph Ducasse, Elmer Bischoff, Nathan Olivera and Hans Hoffman.

Following Peter's death in 1967, Barbara married Paul Scott Foster Jr., and together they lived happily between her home in San Francisco and her ranch in the Alexander Valley until his passing in 1995.

Predeceased by her brother, Fred, she is survived by her sons Peter, Stephen and Richard and her daughter Bia; her grandchildren Aaron Lowe and Adam Lowe of Honolulu , Molly Fleitz of Brooklyn, Garrett Lowe of San Francisco, Oliver Lowe of Mill Valley, Jennifer Lowe of Oakland and Amanda Lowe of New York City; stepsons, Paul Foster of Mill Valley and Howard Foster of Berkeley.