Saturday, June 19, 2021
Don Wane Foster from a neighborhood kid perspective: I met Don almost 60 years ago at the tender age of five after I had befriended his son Ron. Ron and I had become kindergarten buddies when we discovered that both of us liked eating home-made glue from flour. Don seemed serious and stern until I made the mistake of laughing at one of his goofy antics and the next thing you know I was pulling a leg tendon of a freshly killed deer to wiggle it as I chased the neighbor kids…..just as Don had showed us. I also thought it was quite funny to hear the screams and laughter when Don had all the neighborhood kids line up, hold hands as the first kid grabbed the lawn mower spark plug clip and then Don pulled the lawnmower cord. It was a shocking good time! The following week Don had just finished mowing the lawn and the electrocution was repeated, this time with me at the end……which was a real shock! As a kid I noted that Don was a hard worker and worked long hours as he provided for his large household, but he always found time for family, friends, and relatives. Don seemed to know a lot about everything and worked on vehicles, motorcycles and one year he even helped Ron create one of the fastest soap box derby cars in town with his attention to design and lubricants. I was not surprised when I arrived at the Foster house to play and discovered a big hole in the foundation; Don was expanding the home by adding a basement by himself. I wondered if there was no end to his abilities. Work was scarce back then, but I recall that Don was driven and would sometimes travel out of town for work. It seemed that he gained skills in construction and in particular the drywall trade which allowed him to own a successful business. As I got older, I understood the challenges that Don had to overcome as the construction business would cycle up and down with the economy. I also learned that Don and a partner had been severely injured when they were hit by a dump truck that could not stop. I heard about the wreck in the news, but they did not identify the parties involved and when I saw the news reel - I wondered if the individuals would survive……but lo and behold, Don was tougher than nails and he survived although he would suffer with pain for the remainder of his life. As I attended high school and college, I would see Don from time to time and he seemed busier than ever as his company grew. His sons got into the business and learned every aspect of the trade. Once, I even worked for Don on a home being constructed. After I got married and had kids of my own, we would see Don at family events. I will never forget the tour of the old homestead in the Wet Mountains or the picnic at Gin and Al's ranch north of Fort Collins. It was at one of the get-togethers when my son Levi (who was about the same age as I when I first met Don) got to meet an elderly Don who wanted to show him something "special". Don called Levi over and pulled out his dentures. Don's timing was spot on as he waited for Levi's shock and awe. Never seeing anything like this before, Levi was speechless! Don could hardly wait to tell me what happened and repeated the antic at Levi's request. I know Don is gone but my memories and stories of him along with that quiet laugh will be with me always. Love, Michael Trujillo and Family
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