On Tuesday, November 21, 2023, Carole Ann Foerster, mother of two and grandmother of five, passed away peacefully in her sleep at age eighty-eight. She was born on January 4, 1935 to Evereta and Stuart Holbrook, Sr and raised in Concord, New Hampshire, the middle of three children. Carole was the first girl in her family in several generations and enjoyed her studies and playing sports. Scientifically minded, she studied medical technology at the University of New Hampshire and had a career as a medical technologist, working in laboratories and hospitals in Minnesota and Connecticut. She married David H. Foerster and they moved to Northern Virginia in the 1960’s. After a long pause to raise their children, she returned to work, first as a public policy advocate on behalf of the elderly and then in a return to medical technology as the office manager for the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) in Washington, D.C.
Carole enjoyed traveling and had fond memories of trips to England and Bermuda in the 1960’s, as well as Christmas vacations with her relatives in New Hampshire and summer trips to the beaches near her home, most often Chincoteague, Virginia. She had a love of animals and was fond of both dogs and cats. An avid birdwatcher, her favorite species was the cardinal, and she kept a collection of cardinal figurines and memorabilia. She most often listened to classical music, but also loved folk rock, including Joan Baez, Simon and Garfunkel, Donovan, and Jimmy Buffett. While not a musician herself, she encouraged her children, and later her grandchildren, in their musical pursuits and a love of the arts in general
Carole was known for her sharp wit, and occasionally also for her sharp tongue. Her appreciation of dark humor was legendary, as was her penchant for inappropriate dinner conversation at family gatherings that her grandchildren found equally horrifying and hilarious. She is survived by a son, Stephen H. Foerster; a daughter, Rev. Abigail E. Foerster and son-in-law, Lacy T. Lusk, Jr.; and five grandchildren, Starling F. Foerster, Fiona H. Foerster, Graham F. Foerster, Noah Foerster, and Levi E. Lusk. She is also survived by her younger sister, Judith B. Thompson, and two nieces. She was preceded in death by her older brother, Stuart Holbrook, Jr. No service is currently planned; friends and family will be notified should a memorial be scheduled. In lieu of flowers, a donation in her honor may be made to one’s local animal shelter.
To plant a tree in memory of Carole Foerster, please visit our Tribute Store.
