Old-school doctor, hospital leader
Paul Foster. (Courtesy photo)
Paul Gary Foster, M.D., 84, died peacefully March 20, 2019. His family was with him as he gently closed a life of service.
Paul was born in Norwood and attended Norwood public schools. He completed pre-med studies at his beloved Amherst College, graduating in 1956. It was at Amherst that he discovered a lifelong love of literature and poetry. He passed on his love of learning and words to his children and grandchildren and would tell you the only honest way to complete the NYT crossword puzzle is in pen.
Paul began his life’s calling in 1956, attending Tufts University Medical School. Following Tufts, he spent three years in the Army and then completed his training at Newton-Wellesley Hospital. In 1964, he started a private family practice in Wellesley. After decades in Wellesley, Paul started a new private practice in Harvard. He served in a variety of leadership roles at Nashoba Hospital, including president of the medical staff. He cared for many families over the years, an old-school doctor who made house calls and walked his patients through their fears and worries over health issues, large and small. He met you with a smile, an outstretched hand and a silly joke, all to ease suffering and create a place of trust and safety.
Dr. Foster was a member of the Massachusetts Medical Society for more than 50 years. In retirement, he wore his 50-year pin with immense pride. It was an honor to serve so many families over the years. Life outside of medicine was always full. Paul loved reading, golf, gardening, and friends. He built gardens and stone walls wherever he lived, and at the homes of his adult children. Treasured family memories are of Doc/Dad/Poppy/Grandpa covered in mud from a day in the yard and toting small grandchildren in the back of his tractor. In his retirement years, he moved to Maine with his wife Carol and enjoyed reading, church, and exploring the state.
Paul is survived by his wife Carol of Londonderry, New Hampshire; daughter Jan Macleod and her husband Cathel of Cumberland, Maine; daughter Suzy Blodgett and her husband Arthur of Fiskdale; son Mark Foster of Crescent City, California; son Christopher Foster and his wife Pam of Glen Ridge, New Jersey; daughter-in-law Clare Foster of Brighton; stepsons Scott Woods of Folsom, California and Doug Woods of Lake Worth, Florida, and his beloved grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
The family will gather to celebrate Paul privately. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice of Southern Maine, 180 US Route 1 # 1, Scarborough, ME 0407 or to The Amherst Fund, Amherst College, P.O. Box 5000, Amherst. MA 01002-5000.
