Ruth Foster

Ruth Alice (Kroff) Foster, 93, passed away on March 5, 2026, at Friendship Village of Dublin, Ohio. Born on August 20, 1932, in Columbus, Ohio, Ruth was a well-loved child of Adolph and Alice (Farley) Kroff. When Ruth was only ten and her sister Eileen was seven, their mother died of breast cancer. Ruth’s faith and her involvement in school activities sustained her. She was a cheerleader at Roosevelt Junior High School and South High School and loved acting in both senior plays. Chosen by classmates for the homecoming court and voted Homecoming Queen, she was also salutatorian of her class.

Forever grateful for the encouragement of high school principal Cleo Dumaree, a scholarship, and employment by the Ohio Council of Churches, Ruth graduated in 1954 from The Ohio State University Cum Laude with an Elementary Education degree. She was elected as Independent Sweetheart for Pleiades, the Women’s Independent Organization at Ohio State, and competed at Oklahoma University for the National title.

August 16, 1953, Ruth married Ralph V. Foster, a graduate of The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy. She taught at Montrose Elementary school in Bexley, Ohio, before traveling with Ralph to Riverside, CA, where Ralph served three years active duty at March Air Force Base.

They returned to Columbus, and while parenting their children (Kathy and Keith), Ruth began a new career as a radio talk show host, interviewing guests of the Christian radio station WCVO 104.9 (now The River). Everything that aired went through her hands. She became a public speaker and did some writing for WCVO. She was active in church leadership at Broad Street Christian Church as an elder and later at Upper Arlington Lutheran Church as a teacher and small group leader. Paul Ulring (a pastor at Upper Arlington) and numerous friends often visited her at Friendship Village, for which she was most grateful. The staff and residents of Friendship Village were very dear to her, and we are grateful for the compassionate care she received there.

Tennis was a lifelong spark in her life. She and treasured friends played into their early eighties. A talented crafter, Ruth delighted many people with handmade personal gifts. What brought Ruth the most joy was her faith; sharing moments with friends and family and learning their stories; and being a wife, mother, and grandmother. Preceded in death by her parents, sister, and Ralph (her husband of 66 years), Ruth is survived by daughter Kathy (Richard) Ueltschy, Westerville, Ohio; son Dr. Keith (Susan) Foster, Helena, Montana; grandchildren Matthew (Elizabeth) Ueltschy, Megan (Tosh Scheps) Ueltschy Scheps, Emma Foster, Graham Foster; and cherished extended family members.

One of Ruth’s guiding principles was to be supportive of everyone she knew and met, and she excelled at this. It was her wish that, instead of flowers, donations may be made to the Ruth Kroff Foster Scholarship Fund in Elementary Education at the College of Education and Human Ecology at Ohio State or to a charity of your choice. Ruth loved others well and was well-loved.

A Celebration of Life for Ruth will be Wednesday, May 6, 2026 at 2pm in the Muirfield Room at Friendship Village of Dublin and all are invited.