Richard W. Foust of Columbus, NJ passed away April 20, 2020 at Virtua Hospital in Mt Holly, NJ.  He was 88.
Born on April 22, 1931 in Mill Creek, PA, Dick was the son of William and Hazel (Bumgardner) Foust, who are deceased. He was preceded in death by his siblings: Melvin, Jim, Betty, Mary Grace and Jane.

He enlisted in the U.S. Navy as a gunner's mate in 1948 and served aboard various ships including resupply ships and icebreakers. He later changed career fields into Personnel and became a Chief Personnelman in the job classification field and in charge of the ship's office.  He served at various duty locations including Philadelphia, Maryland, Rhode Island, and Virginia.
Dick married the love of his life Velma P. (Blair) Foust, also from Mill Creek, on July 5, 1952. They were married almost 68 years and raised their children in Juliustown, NJ. Their children include Kathy, Bill (deceased), Terri, Brad, and Bob.  Grandchildren include:  Kristopher, Brooke, Jason, Sara, David, Scott (deceased), Rachel, Madison, and Hannah.  In addition, they have a great granddaughter, Parker.

Dick rose to the rank of Chief Petty Officer and retired after 20 years of service with many awards and decorations including the National Defense Medal with Bronze Star, Good Conduct Medal with 3 awards, Antarctic Service Medal, and the Navy Occupation Medal.  After his active duty service, he served in the Training Development Division of the Naval Air Engineering Center at Navy Lakehurst, NJ as a Senior Counselor, and later as an Employee Development Specialist.  Additionally he was a 50 year member of the Fleet Reserve Association.
After over 39 years of dependable and faithful service to the U.S. Government, he retired to civilian life where he could devote time to his family and enjoy his favorite pastimes of bowling, golfing, and watching his favorite teams, the Phillies and the Eagles on television with his family. He was known for golfing in the rain. He loved going down to Maryland each spring to get an early start on the golfing season. He and Velma particularly enjoyed visiting family in Europe and made several trips abroad.

Dick was a kind and gentle man. He was quick to smile and when asked how things were going, he would commonly reply with a hearty "terrific".  In 1997 Dick and Velma moved to Homestead, a beautiful retirement community in Columbus, NJ. He enjoyed playing pool with his buddies at the club house and was a great neighbor and friend to all. He was a true family man. He was the absolute best husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather.
A celebration of his life will be planned at a later date.

The family extends their gratitude and prayers to the doctors, nurses, and valued staff on the front lines at Virtua Hospital and Masonic Village.

A memorial service celebrating Richard's life will be held at 1pm on Friday, August 14th, 2020. Friends may call from 12pm until the time of service. Messages of condolences may be sent to the family through the Funeral home's website as listed below:
Peppler Funeral Home@hotmail.com . Arrangements are under the direction of Peppler Funeral Home, Bordentown, NJ.