Robert Delos Foster was born in Los Angeles on January 22, 1920 to Delos and Sadie Ann Foster. Bob and his older sister, Catherine, grew up in Chicago where their father was Dean of Men at Moody Bible Institute.
At Wheaton College he asked Marion Bailey for a date and she agreed if he would accompany her to hear Dawson Trotman, a guest speaker on campus. Bob fell in love with Marion and they were married on December 9, 1943. Dawson Trotman would later become Bob’s role model and mentor in helping men become followers of Jesus Christ.
After Marion’s father died, they moved to Los Angeles to help manage the family plumbing business. Their four children, Bob, Janna, Dan and Rick were born during the years when Bob’s association with The Navigators began to grow.
In 1957, they moved to Colorado Springs to work full time with the Navigators at Glen Eyrie. Their home at 736 Panorama Drive was always open to friends and guests.
Bob and Marion had a growing desire to reach out to businessmen and their families by providing a quality vacation destination. In 1961, that dream became a reality at Lost Valley Ranch.
For many years, Bob served as Bible teacher for an adult class at First Presbyterian Church, Colorado Springs. He also served on the Board of Dallas Theological Seminary, Wheaton College and English Language Institute of China. His passion was helping people come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.
After Marion’s death in 1996, Bob married Bev Paynter from Orange County, CA in 2000 and they shared ten wonderful years together.
Bob is survived by his four children: Bob (Karen) Foster, Janna Kay (Bill) Reynolds, Dan (Marilyn) Foster and Rick (Lucy) Foster; 12 grandchildren and 18 great- grandchildren. Nephew: John Williams
Bob believed: Life is worth living; People are worth loving; God is worth trusting.
A Memorial Service will be held at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, June 5 th at Sanctuary Church, 1930 W. Colorado Avenue.
In lieu of flowers, gifts for the Lost Valley Staff Scholarship Fund may be sent to Lost Valley Ranch, 29555 Goose Creek Road, Sedalia, CO 80135. Make checks to: Lost Valley Staff Scholarship Fund.
Tributes
Leave a tributeBob held staff meetings, that treated us like sons and daughters, using his fireplace as the pulpit, and we always left, profoundly influenced by a man of God. Then my first memorized Bible verse came to life: 2nd Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has passed away, behold all things have become new". It stuck. Big Bob really reached people in his encounters.
That next summer, Bob took me for a walk, and convinced me to return to college and come back in the summers or whenever. I did, and did well. I carried the 2nd Corinthians 5:17 in my head/heart. I used vaca time to return to "the ranch" during busy cycles of late July, early August.
He helped me get the job at Vista Verde, upon graduation, and to my wonder, Ben, ended up there after I left for Grad School. I spent the fall of 93' there finishing a job search. Prayed with TW and Ben on Friday, and the phone rang from SMSU Monday. I am now 29 years into my profession, the Center for Student Leadership and Involvement" at Southwest MN State University the last 23 of those. "behold, all things have become new".
I just spent a week with my brothers and family. LVL comes up, every year we gather. Thanks Big Bob, for making it stick! We carry him forward now, all of us.
Bobby, Janna/Billy, Ricky/Lucy, Dan/Marilyn, it was a good ride. You dad may sure of it. Forever missed, but ever present.
ScottE
Your family and Bob gave our family some wonderful experiences. we visited the ranch several times and promoted the ranch locally to our friends. To experience God and God's people in the Lost Valley manner is to be truly blessed. We will always remember how our hearts were touched. It all started at Wheaton when my sister Sue Thorne graduated in a class with Bob Foster , her future husband John Thorne and Billy Graham. What a blessing when Billy came down to Indiana a few days after graduation and married Sue and John. Bob was a legend and we were all blessed to know him.
Van and Jean Gates and family
South Bend, IN
I grew up as a cowgirl in the coast range mountains of Oregon on my grandparent's cattle ranch and didn't even know Guest Ranches existed until I heard about them from my college roommate. Later, as a Sophomore in college, I traveled with my Navigators group, under the guidance of Darren and Gina Lindblom, to a Spring break conference at Glen Eyrie in CO Springs. While there, I visited with my brother's college roommate who was working there, and he told me about Lost Valley Ranch and how I would love working there. Truer words were never spoken.... It was a match made in heaven. My first summer I spent 3 weeks as a cabin girl, 3 weeks as a waitress, 3 weeks as a kid Supervisor, 2 weeks as a Teen Supervisor, 3 weeks as a Teen Wrangler, and 3 weeks as a Wrangler... God used the first 6 weeks to bring me to a place of brokenness as I came to see my selfishness and depravity in a whole new light. I discovered that I was fine to serve, as long as it was in a way that I wanted....
As I wept for hours on the Trading Post lawn late on a Wednesday night after walking back from the jail, I surrendered anew everything to the LORD, to be used as he saw fit. The next 3 years saw me working at Lost Valley in my dream job.... Love others until they ask why, and then lead them to Jesus, from the back of a horse. It just doesn't get any better than that! I recruited my cousin, Vern to work with me my 2nd Summer, and after that my sister, DeeAnne, and have sent several other staff members their way over the years.... most recently, my cousin's daughter, Chelsea Reeher (now Schwab). After graduating from college, I went to work there full time! One of my crew mates (Jason Peterson (JP)) ended up becoming my best friend, and as of May 25th, we have now been married for 20 years! As newlyweds, we attended a Discipleship Training School with Youth With a Mission, and subsequently, went on staff with a new ministry of theirs called Cowboys With A Mission. After 4 years of serving there and leading Discipleship schools to Australia, Morocco, and Mongolia, we transitioned into business, and still find great joy in serving in the hospitality industry, and in raising our 2 boys and 5 horses in the beautiful Rocky Mountains of Montana. In October of 2014, after attending Jake and Chelsea Schwab's wedding at the Pond at Lost Valley, we got together with Bob Sr. and Jr. and Karen, and Bill Reynolds. It was a sweet time of fellowship and was a great opportunity for our boys to meet a family who have been so instrumental in our lives. I am so grateful for that special time with you all and only wish Janna could have made it too! I remember with fondness Rick speaking to us at staff meetings, and him baptizing Dace Starkweather in the swimming pool. It was always fun when Dan came to visit as all, even though I didn't know him as well. I remember great conversations with Marion as well, and her manual for the cabin girls was a labor of love! When I think of Marion, I think of Col. 3:17.... Whatsoever you do, do it with all your heart, as unto the LORD, and not unto men....
Meeting the man you will one day marry in a place where you are not allowed to date is it's own special crucible. I thank God and the Foster's and Reynold's for creating such a place as they co-labored with Heaven. For me, Lost Valley was a refining fire, a labor of love, a place to lay down my life and receive it back again, a place of growth, discipleship, leadership development, a foundation for lifelong friendships, and because of Bob's vision, there are two Peterson boys named Levi James and Victor Lance who wouldn't be here without it...
Infectious, influential, innovative, unconventional (he interviewed Jason on the spot when he hadn't even filled out an application yet and was only accompanying a friend from college who was applying).... That was Big Bob! An icon, a servant.
He loved well. He laughed often. I know his reward is great!
Remembering the life of Bob Foster Sr.:
This man impacted Jeb and I's lives before we were born for in 1961, Bob began Lost Valley Ranch. His wife Marion prayed that the staff would find one's spouse there. And Jeb and I met at Lost Valley Ranch in the summer of 2001. Even though Marion had passed on a few years before, God was still honoring her prayer request.
Bob spoke prophetically into Jeb's life concerning his career and his wife-to-be, while his new bride, Bev, would mentor me during my time at the ranch.
Both would give us our premarital counseling and Bob would marry us on June 29, 2003.
Today, I am thankful for his devotion to Jesus, his vision for Lost Valley Ranch, both his wives Marion & Bev, and his faithfulness to finish the race strong.
#ooooaaaah #lostvalleyranch #remembering #agodlyman #weddingdayphoto
We first crossed the Lost Valley Ranch cattle guard the summer of 1972. Little did I know that family vacation would forever change my life. Big Bob was bigger than life! I was sitting up at the pool with my parents and he came up and sat with us. He told us "This vacation will change your lives in ways you may not see today...but you'll look back and understand what I mean". WOW!!! God used Big Bob with me, my family and so many others I'm sure have similar stories. It didn't end there. It was that same trip I approached Big Bob and it became my mission to work at Lost Valley. He told me about the teen program and 5 summers later, that dream happened. Through all of my ups and downs as a lost young man...Bob and Marion stuck with me, they loved me and invested in my life. The investment was eternal. Bob's impact was just as great with Peter Vincent, my wife Ellen's dad, whose life was changed during a pack trip. That trip was catalyst that brought Ellen to the ranch as well as all of our daughters. They are all walking with the Lord as a result of the Fosters investment in our lives.
I could write a book of my favorite memories of Big Bob. Two of my favorite memories were in 2008 and then again a couple years ago in California. It was late summer in 2008 and I was in between jobs when Bob Jr graciously agreed to have me come up to the ranch, clear my head and help out in the coral for a couple weeks. Big Bob spoke to us at staff meeting. As I was talking with him after he spoke, another staff member walked up to meet Bob. Without missing a beat, he asked the staff girl...."Do you know when I first met this guy to talk about a job?" and I thought...I know he is going to get this wrong. Of course, I was wrong. He remembered the date, the hotel, me having a mustache...WOW. The last memory I have of Big Bob, which I cherish, was in Southern Cal when I met him at Mimi's for dinner. I asked if I could pick him up and he told me he would meet he there. When I pulled up, he had pulled his car up on the curb with a flat tire. I couldn't help but think of similar situations with the road grader. He was sitting on the bench outside, with that famous grin on his face. I had to chuckle, cause I wouldn't have expected less, and he gave me that quick laugh as he always did. He brought so much joy into my heart then and always. His wisdom, and advice are etched in my heart. "Base your life on principle...not expediency. Live by conviction...not convenience"...my favorite Big Bob quote.
I will forever hold a special place in my heart for Big Bob. They don't make them like that any more. He was God's man, a true servant for Christ and I was privileged to call him my mentor and friend.
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Please be patient.
Please be patient.
A Unique Gift
I did not know Bob, but my good friend Les Goertz who passed away in 2016 was a long-time recipient of the Challenge Newsletter for almost 30 years.
https://www.missioncityrecord.com/obituaries/rev-lester-goertz/
Les' widow and very good friend Vernagean has been cleaning out his office and she asked me if I would be interested in his collection of newsletters. He saved every one as you can see in the attached photo.
The newsletters obviously meant a lot to Les, and for me, having only begun reading them, they will certainly be of immense value to me as well!
Thank you very much for your ministry! Rob Schulz Abbotsford, B.C. Canada
Thru the the Blizzard with BOB
After a late fall business trip to Grand Junction, I was anxious to return to Colorado Springs, and had decided to take Independemce Pass to shorten the journey, even though a huge first storm of winter was predicted. I started up the pass as two patrolmen were lowering the gate to close the pass. They said I was crazy, but let me go ahead. In just a few minutes, the storm hit with a fury. I pulled to the side even thought there were no cars o f trucks coming or going. The pass was closed!
I reached into my emergency bag and found several casettetapes: Bob Foser at the Ranch1997; Bob Foster at Leadership Prayer Breakfast; and Dec 4,2002-Bob Foster at CBMC lunch, etc,.etc. I couldn't see much through the blizzard, but concentrated on Bob's enclouraging wisdom, and kept CALM. After many hours, I reached the bottom on East side to the surprise of the troopers guarding the access. When they asked how did yo do it? I said "Jesus." When they asked me who guided me, I said "Bob Foster."
What a life worth living and what an inspiration to me.
Blessings to all the Foster Family on Bob going Home!.
Jack Flobeck-Colorado Springs, CO