Harriet I. Foster

“The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate,” so states Oprah Winfrey and... so did Harriet Irene Fost er. Upon the birth of Harriet Irene Anderson on April 1, 1923, little did her parents, the late Henry and Hettie Anderson know that their fifth of eleven children would celebrate the life she was given until the very end. The celebration began in her birthplace of Camden, South Carolina, where she lived with her ten siblings, among them Etta, who affectionately referred to Harriet as “Rene”. She attended the Trinity United Methodist Church in her youth. A gifted student, Harriet graduated from Jackson High School on June 2, 1942. Due to her special gifts, Harriet was asked by the school administration to become a member of the faculty. And teach she did for a few years. But a fire inside of Harriet burned for adventure, so Harriet ventured out into the world. She said goodbye to Camden, South Carolina; found her way to New York City; and eventually found her way to Oxnard, California. In California, Harriet took up residence with her brother, Buster and his family. While in California, Harriet met the man of her life, a generous and handsome gentleman by the name of Hardy Foster. He stole her heart and engaged her to be married. Still in search of new adventure and missing her sisters, Henrietta and Vivian, who resided in Baltimore, Maryland, Harriet too, moved to Baltimore City with her fiancé. After arriving in Baltimore, Hardy and Harriet were wedded on March 20, 1951. Hardy and Harriet immediately embraced the nieces and nephews of her sisters as if they were their own. Frequent trips back to Camden, South Carolina were almost always accompanied by a niece(s) or nephew(s). Harriet joined Trinity AME Church of Baltimore in March of 1975 and served on the Welcoming Committee and Stewardess Board 3. After many wonderful years of marriage, Hardy departed from this life. Harriet then showered her love upon the grandnieces and -nephews. To provide for her life, Harriet became an environmental engineer at Johns Hopkins Hospital for many years. Afterwards, in 1956, she joined the staff at Keswick Home and Hospital. At Keswick, she worked as an engineer and shop stewart of the union, 1199E until her retirement. Harriet took great pride in fighting for the protection of workers’ rights and she was well respected by all whom she represented. From 1956-1986, Harriet gave everything that she had to the job that she loved. On August 31, 1986, after a journey which started back in 1956, Harriet laid down her work tools, said farewell, and went out the door into retirement. Her time in retirement was spent having lunches with her best friend, the late Louise and other friends, shopping downtown, and trips to her favorite place, Lexington Market. Afterwards, Harriet’s health began to fail, taking her on a journey of assisted living, hospital care; and finally a nursing home. And after her long, hard fight with health issues, Harriet sat down in a chair and said goodbye to this world on January 31, 2013. If Harriet were to have a last word, she would say “celebrate life and let it celebrate you.” She would say, “live every day as if it were your last, but above all: Live, Love, and Laugh!” Finally, in your celebrating, Harriet would say, never forget this: A wise old owl lived in an old oak, the more he saw, the less he spoke The less he spoke, the more he heard, why can’t we be like that old bird? Harriet is survived by one sister, Vivian Davis of Baltimore, Maryland; one brother, Clifton Anderson of Camden, South Carolina; one sister-in-law, Ethel Mae Anderson of Camden, South Carolina; and many nieces and nephews. She rests in peace!

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Harriet I. Foster

April 1, 1923 - January 31, 2013