Beginnings
     Born in Los Angeles, January 22, 1920, Bob and his sister Catherine, two years older, lived for a while in Glendale where the family attended First Presbyterian Church. His father instilled in him a love for animals, trees, the soil and for the God who gives life its purpose. When Bob was five his father’s job took the family to NYC for a year and then to Moody Institute in Chicago. Bob loved Chicago Cubs baseball and worked five summers at a dairy farm in Wisconsin. Writing about his spiritual life he said he accepted Christ at ages 9, 12, and finally the “real thing” at 16 at a youth rally.
     After high school at Wheaton Academy he entered Wheaton College, where he fell in love with Marion Bailey from California. They were married on December 9, 1943.

Family
     During the five years after their wedding, Bob coached at Wheaton Academy and was involved primarily in working with youth. When Marion’s father died they moved to California to run the family plumbing shop. While there he was mentored by Dawson Trotman, founder of the Navigators. Bob credited The Navs with laying the spiritual foundation of his life.
     Bob cared deeply about businessmen, the importance of personal relationships and mentoring “man to man”. Because his own daily devotions were so important to his relationship with God, he later wrote the practical guide 7 Minutes With God to help others begin a daily Quiet Time.
     At the Navigator home in Pasadena Bob and Marion welcomed servicemen, college students and young professionals for fellowship and spiritual training. During those years Bob began writing The Challenge, a weekly letter of spiritual encouragement to servicemen. In this busy home the Lord blessed them with their four children: Bob, Janna, Dan and Rick. As their young family and ministry continued to grow, the Fosters accepted Dawson Trotman’s invitation to work fulltime with the Navs. In January 1957, they moved to Colorado Springs.
     Their home at 736 Panorama Drive, where the children grew up, was open to all. Family meals included laughter along with Bible reading and letters from missionaries. The family celebrated birthdays, enjoyed vacations, and were busy with school and First Presbyterian Church where Bob taught the Mr. & Mrs. Class each Sunday.

Lost Valley
     Bob and Marion wanted to widen the meaning of home and family even more by having a place for families to vacation, build memories and return year after year. A place for hospitality on an even greater scale! Lost Valley Ranch was their shared vision. Businessmen who knew Bob joined with him in looking for just the right property, purchasing it, and opening for guests the summer of 1961.
     Within a few weeks that desire was tested when fire destroyed the main Lodge. God encouraged Bob that His vision was still alive and to press forward and rebuild. Since that time, the Foster family and staff have worked toward making Lost Valley a place where guests become friends, and friends become family. The Foster kids grew up spending summers working on staff at Lost Valley. It was a great encouragement when Bill and Janna, Bob and Karen, and Rick and Lucy moved to the ranch at different times with their children. Son, Dan, at Mountain Chalet made sure the ranch had the finest outdoor equipment available. The legacy of the Foster family continues today.
     The demands of running a guest ranch never deterred Bob from his global vision. During the 1970s and 80s, Bob and Marion traveled extensively to encourage missionaries living in challenging places. China had a special place in their hearts and prayers. To the many former Lost Valley staff they visited around the world, they brought encouragement and a personal touch.

Ending well
     After five years of struggle with Alzheimer’s Marion died in August, 1996. It was a great loss for Bob and family. Their many friends including members of the Mariners Class which Bob taught, rallied around with love and support.
     A few years later, at the age of 80, Bob made contact with Bev Paynter, whom he had known at Wheaton College. In 2000 Bob and Bev were married, blessing their two families and others as they traveled and served God together. When her health required moving to a lower altitude in California, Bob faithfully cared for her until her death in 2010.
     Throughout Bob’s life, he maintained a vision that looked into eternity. It was all about relationships with people and the Lord. During his last weeks he spent many hours recalling the names of people and telling their stories. Lying in bed, he prayed aloud, quoted verses and spoke about his Savior, Jesus Christ. He laughed, smiled and often exclaimed, “God is so good!”
     To a friend who was visiting, he quoted Phil 3:13b-14, “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
     When the pain of death came it didn’t have the last word. Bob was Home. OOOOH-AHHHHH