Mary Foster Lunstrum

Born March 6, 1923, in Chicago, Illinois, Mary was the eldest daughter of Jay and Mary Foster and the oldest sister of Kathy, Joan, John, Jane, Bill, Tom and Punkin. She met her husband, Carl, during the war and moved to Idaho in 1943. They were married for 43 years until his death in 1989. They were the loving parents of: Ken (Colleen), Jim (Patty), Melissa (Michael), Bill (Theresa), Trina (Jim), Karen (Randy), Mark (Janet), Kristy (Roger), Trisa (Monte), Joel (Sherrye), Janel (Clarke) and Erin (Scott). Her son Tom preceded her in death in 1971. Grandmother of Sarah, Amy, Casey (Nancy), Kris (Tim), Nicole, Eric (Lola), Libby (John), Abby, Amy (Mat), Liam, Molly (Sean), Katy (Gracjan), Lars, Colin, Anson, Jacy, Angie, Bonnie, John, Cody, Carly and Conor, she was also great-grandmother to Forest, Ruby, Ethan and Beck with one more on the way.

Mother loved music, words, art, painting, gardening, cooking and spending time with her family and friends. She sang in the St. Pauls Choir for many years, writing and directing the parish plays for the Fall Fair and Frolic and was instrumental in many Majors and Minors performances. In recent years she learned to play the organ, spending many hours of joy at the keyboard, making new close friends (Ann) and traveling with her music group. Cryptograms and crosswords shuddered at her mere presence as there were none she could not- seven letter word for vanquish. As an avid reader, Mom was a self-educated PhD and a lover of literature. She hand-painted birthday cards for all her children and grandchildren and filled them with charming personal poetry. Her paintings grace the walls of all our homes. Moms landscaping abilities were reflected in her beautiful flower garden and yard that was home to numerous beautiful birds that she so loved. Besides enjoying time outside, she expressed her artistic genius in the kitchen. Raising her thirteen children, she was the queen of home cooking, making sure dinner was on time with a bounty of healthy food for her army and any guests. In the summer, she canned all the food for the coming winter, putting up over 1000 quarts of fruit and vegetables every year! Her faith in God was reflected not only in her devotion to the Catholic Church, and her numerous charitable actions, but in her everyday interactions with those around her. Her greatest joy, however, was her family - everything she did was with love for us and for our benefit. She will always be missed and forever in our hearts.

As Mom would remind us, any day above ground is a good day. Her last good day was Sunday, June 27, 2010, when she died at home surrounded by all her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. It was a beautiful experience for all of us; Mother teaching again by example to the very end. We love you, Mom!

A memorial of her life with a rosary will be said at 7 p.m., Wednesday, June 30th, at Nampa Funeral Home Yraguen Chapel, 415 12th Avenue South, Nampa, with a Mass of Christian burial at St. Pauls Catholic Church, 1515 8th Street South, Thursday, July 1st, at 11 a.m. The burial will follow the service at Mount Calvary Cemetery, Nampa. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Heifer International at heiferinternational.com.

Service Information