Carol Foster

Carol Jean Wallace was born September 3, 1935, in Hopewell, Virginia, the daughter of James Harvey Wallace and Louise Helen Mifka Wallace. She passed away August 20, 2023, in Pinellas Park, Florida following a lengthy illness. Surviving Carol are her three children: Vance A. Foster, Micki Foster-Koenig (Greg) and Leah Foster Alderman (Dillon), granddaughter Rachel M. DiGregorio, and beloved first cousins Gloria Clark Andrs and Viola Ann Clark. Carol leaves behind dear friends Electa Smith, Karlissa Steck, and LaShawnda Bacon, longtime companions who gave her love and joy for many years, and enormous comfort in her final days. A free spirit who always sought the right path, Carol left her mountain home immediately after graduating from high school – and never looked back. After winning a small scholarship as a beauty pageant prize she attended James Madison University. Afterwards, she moved to Washington, D.C. to pursue a career as a nightclub singer. She met and married Fred Foster and helped him found Monument Records. They moved to Nashville in 1960 and when their marriage ended three kids and 15 years later, Carol moved to Canada to pursue work once again as a vocalist. She found the realities of the job less than glamourous, so she moved back to Nashville several years later to form a music publishing company. After that, her wanderlust took her to Baton Rouge, Louisiana and from there to sunny Florida where she made her home till the end of her life. Over the course of her life and extensive travels, Carol worked as a massage therapist, make-up artist/salesperson, Reiki healer, secretary, personal chef, and caregiver. Carol meditated, studied various religions, and attended numerous wellness and learning retreats. She believed in karma and kindness, loved animals of all kinds and was never happier than when her hands were digging in the dirt, making things grow. Carol enjoyed cooking – everything from intricate gourmet dishes to simple Southern food, and she loved trying new foods cooked by others. If it was Thai or Vietnamese, all the better. She loved to read, returning repeatedly to the writings of Kahlil Gibran, Sylvia Plath, the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying and poets of the ages. During the last decade, Carol learned that the tail could indeed wag the dog, that there was little need for a truly reality-based existence, and that she deserved to be the “grand dame” of her Assisted Living Facility. They were happy to oblige. Carol’s parents, her much-loved brother, Harvey Sterling “Buck” Wallace, numerous aunts and uncles, many dear friends, and former husband all predeceased her. The family offers heartfelt thanks to the incredible staff of Magnolia Gardens Assisted Living Facility of Pinellas Park (especially “sweet” Pierre and Darlene), her GP, Dr. Fadi Saba, Suncoast Hospice “Coral Team” members, Suncoast Hospice Volunteer Coordinator Eli Plouvier and his amazing group of volunteers, Marlene and Pet Therapy pup extraordinaire Jolie, as well as Suncoast Hospice Mid-Pinellas Care Center. There will be no public service. To honor Carol, take a walk on the beach or plant a flower in her memory.

Carol Foster

September 3, 1935 - August 20, 2023