Mark Foster

Mark Foster

Mount Shasta - Herbert Bismarck (Mark) Foster III, 86 years old of Mount Shasta, California, passed away peacefully at home on Monday, September 20, 2021.

Mark was born in San Francisco, California on March 15, 1935, the oldest of two sons of Doris Jameson and Herbert Bismarck Foster Jr.

He grew up in Berkeley and attended Berkeley High School. Mark graduated from the University of California Berkeley in 1956 with a major in Forestry.

Mark met his first wife, Margaret (Maggie) Gray, while they attended UC Berkeley. They were married on August 18, 1956, and began their life together in Jackson, California where their two children, Cynthia and Eric were born.

They lived in several Northern California towns: Jackson, Red Bluff, Redding, a short stint to Ironwood, Michigan, back to Redding, and then Castro Valley before settling into retirement in Mount Shasta.

His forestry major led him to many interesting adventures and managerial positions with Elkins Sawmill, Kimberly Clark, Hudson Lumber, and Eagle Pencils. After leaving the pencil manufacturing business, Mark owned Aqua Blue Pools and served as President of the Independent Pool and Spa Service Association.

Mark and Maggie had a goal to travel to all 50 states, which was accomplished, and to many other areas of interest around the world. Mark settled into retirement and enjoyed spending time traveling, volunteering for numerous organizations, and catching up with family and friends.

He was introduced to Margaret Conard by a mutual friend, and they were married in March 2015. Their strong love of the outdoors had them enjoying skiing, bicycling, hiking, kayaking, and camping. International travel was a joy for both, and they visited numerous places including Africa, Bohemia, China, France, Iceland, Peru, and many others. Getting to know each other's families and spending holidays with them in the Bay Area was a joyful tradition and getting acquainted with each other's friends and making new mutual friends was an ongoing pleasure. Margaret has a son Joel Conard, a daughter Gretchen Conard (Kenn) Lewis, and three grandchildren, all of whom adored Mark.

Mark had many interests including fishing, making flies in order to fish, sailing, skiing, turning wood bowls, restoring old engines, and building a kayak. His philanthropic endeavors included the Rotary Club (President of San Leandro and Mount Shasta chapters), the Mercy Hospital Board of Directors, the Mount Shasta Museum, Siskiyou Land Trust, and Mount Shasta Trail Association, to name a few.

His love for travel, making friends, and wanting to give back, lead him to make several trips with Habitat for Humanities. He traveled to many places including Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, and Mongolia. He made several trips to Central America with Rotary International and Habitat for Humanities utilizing his newly learned Spanish speaking skills.

Most importantly, he relished his relationships with family and friends and meeting new people.

He is survived by his wife, Margaret Conard of Mount Shasta. He is predeceased by his first wife of 54 years, Margaret (Maggie Gray) Foster. He is survived by his children, Cynthia Foster of Berkeley and Eric (Leann) Foster of Orinda. He is survived by his grandchildren whom he adored, Katie Ginsburg (Alex Dickel), Allie Foster (Maxime) Hussenet, Katie Foster (Joshua) Moses, and Mark Ginsburg.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, October 9 at 11:30AM at St. Anthony's Catholic Church in Mount Shasta.

Donations may be made to the Mt. Shasta Sisson Museum, Mount Shasta Trail Association, Siskiyou Land Trust, or a non-profit that is meaningful to you.