Crystal Ann Foster

Crystal Ann Blom Foster was born on Oct. 29, 1952, to Fred Blom and Marian Priel Fletcher Blom in Salmon, Idaho. She was the oldest of five children. The family moved to Shelley, Idaho, when she was in third grade. They lived next door to her maternal grandparents, Samuel and Marian Fletcher, for many years and Crystal was very close to them. She learned much about art, gardening, and household repairs from her grandfather, and she learned about cooking, sewing, housekeeping, and kindness from her grandmother. The hope that she will be reunited with them is comforting.

The family always raised a large garden and they all learned to do many things for themselves. Crystal made most of her own clothes in high school. She was an excellent student, enjoyed participating in Topperettes, and graduated from Shelley High School in 1971 in the top 10 academically.

Prior to her senior year, she and her sweetheart, Robert Foster, were married in Shelley, Idaho, on June 12, 1970. They lived in Shelley throughout their marriage and built two homes in the area. They remained partners and best friends for 50 years. She especially appreciated the tender care Bob provided during her illness.

She and Bob were the parents of three children: Hadley, Wyatt, and Holly. She was devoted to them, delivering doses of tough love when necessary, indulgence when possible, and always her full support. They were all active in high school sports and she attended their events faithfully, for several teams at Shelley High School for years. She was very proud of them and their accomplishments.

She worked for several years at King’s in Shelley and quickly became the manager. Then she began working at the Shelley Pioneer newspaper and spent 32 years there, working at several positions under various publishers, and was the business manager until 2015. She was very organized and ingenious in finding ways to accomplish tasks quickly and efficiently. She learned numerous computer programs for bookkeeping and editing layouts and could have done virtually every job at the paper. She believed in offering great customer service and went the extra mile to make sure things were done correctly and professionally. Customers and co-workers alike considered her their friend and were always treated as such. She epitomized what a friend should be.

She had a giving heart and often quietly helped people down on their luck and supported organizations like the Kiwanis Goodfellow Fund, the American Red Cross, and North Bingham County Community Foodbank. As a member of the Kiwanis Club, she was in charge of the vendor booths for Idaho Annual Spud Day in Shelley for about 20 years.

Crystal was undaunted by fresh challenges, beginning a new career when she was 61 in the badging office at the Naval Reactor Facility at the Idaho National Laboratory.

She enjoyed camping and Jeeping in Leadore, Idaho, where her parents lived in their retirement. She liked to travel and was crafty and artistic. She was a skilled cardplayer and had a keen sense of humor. She never found a Sudoku puzzle she couldn’t solve quickly. She spent a lot of time with her grandchildren and tried to be a positive influence in their lives.

For the last two-and-a-half years, she has undergone treatments for cancer, including surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. She endured untold pain and did so with an optimistic attitude and incredible strength.

She was preceded in death by her father and her grandparents.

She is survived by her husband, Bob; their children, Hadley, Wyatt (Crystal) and Holly (Ryan DuMonte); their grandchildren, Chance, Hilde, Duncan, and Dominic; her sister Elaine, her brothers Sam, Ben, and Max; her mother, Priel Blom and her mother-in-law, Beatrice Baldwin.

She passed away on September 12, 2020, at home in Shelley, under the care of hospice. The family will have a private graveside service at the Taylor Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers the family suggest donations to the American Cancer Society at www.cancer.org.









*