Alfred "Bill" Marshall Foard

He was the son of the late George Wilson Foard and Ida Inez Gladden Foard.

Alfred (Bill) was born August 15, 1936, in Charlotte, North Carolina. He graduated from West Mecklenburg High School in 1954. Alfred and Barbara raised their 3 children in Steele Creek until 2014 when the airport bought their house and he and Barbara moved to Gastonia. Bill worked for Colonial-Big Star starting as a bag boy when he was in high school and retired from Big Star as store manager. After his retirement from Big Star, he worked for Wayne’s Supermarket for several years before he officially retired.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his sisters and brothers, Mary Alice Moses, Renzy Foard, Edith Foard Byrum, William Banks Foard and Marion Foard and son- in- laws Stephen Farrar and Glenn Harris.

He is survived by his wife, Barbara Anne Miller Foard, of 66 years and their 3 children, Karen Foard Farrar Harris, Brenda Foard Lyons (Tom) and Donald Gene Foard (Carol) and 8 grandchildren and their spouses, Amanda Marshall (Daine), Tracey Shearer (Nick), Kristen Ritch, Stephen Michael Farrar (Brittany,) Brittany Rhodes (Joe), Brett Lyons (Samantha), Meghan Mincey (Paul) and Brooke Foard, and 12 great grandchildren. He is also survived by his sisters, Murl Foard Morris, Eloise Norman (Gene) and sister-in-law Naomie Foard and numerous nieces and nephews.

Bill and Barbara loved to travel. Bill would drive his motorhome for hundreds of miles every day and enjoyed nothing more than to be in the motorhome. Bill and Barbara traveled across the country twice from North Carolina to California with their children and then with the grandchildren. The grandchildren spent a lot of time with grandma and grandpa camping at the beach and just being with grandma and grandpa playing or watching the Price is Right and old western tv shows. As his children were growing up, they always had good vacations during the summer and there were always some wild adventures and something funny happened with every vacation, but they were always fun.

Bill was a member at United Baptist Church in Gastonia, North Carolina.

Services will be at McEwen Funeral Service at Sharon Memorial Park with the Rev. Ray Pennell officiating. Visitation will be from 11:00 am – 12:00 pm with the funeral service at 12:00 pm in the chapel; burial will follow the service. Because of Covid 19 masks will be required.

The pall bearers will be Stephen Michael Farrar, Daine Marshall, Brett Lyons, Nicholas Shearer, Paul Mincey, and J. R. Foard.

The family would like to thank Lee Ann King from Gaston Palliative Care for her care and compassion shown to our father for the past year during his illness.