Eugenia Foster

Eugenia Foster, 83, of Griffin, GA, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on Friday, July 18th at Parkview Medical Center in Fort Wayne, IN.  Born May 29th, 1942, in Danville, IL, Eugenia was the daughter of Eugene and Jennie (Milewski) Tutlis. She spent her early years on bases across the U.S. and Europe, where her father was stationed in the newly established U.S. Air Force. Eugenia graduated from Francis Howell High School in St. Charles, MO, and then attended Illinois State University where she met her husband Donald J. Foster. Eugenia and Don were married in 1961 and raised their three children in Sterling, Illinois where they were both very active for many years in community organizations, Sterling Schools, Sauk Valley Community College, and Sacred Heart Church.  Eugenia returned to college to complete her master’s degree in the late 1960’s. Throughout the next two decades, she taught at East Coloma School in Rock Falls, IL. In 1987, Don accepted a position as Vice President of Waubonsee Community College and they moved to Aurora, IL where Eugenia continued her career in education as the registrar for the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy.  In 1995, Eugenia and Don made the move to Ironwood, MI where Don was appointed as President of Gogebic Community College and Eugenia contributed to the community as a substitute teacher. They both officially retired in 2005, and settled in Winnebago, IL. Following her husband's passing, Eugenia spent many happy years in the Sun City Peachtree retirement community in Griffin, GA. There, she remained active in church groups, genealogy research, swimming, stock trading, and holiday decorating. Known for her generous heart and thoughtfulness, Eugenia was a prolific card sender who never missed the opportunity to celebrate a holiday, birthday, or special occasion. She was also a talented baker, renowned among friends and family for her pecan and pumpkin pies. Eugenia was preceded in death by her beloved husband Donald, her parents, and her halfbrothers, John and Paul Tutlis. She is survived by her three children: Jenny Foster (Jay) Gibson of San Antonio, TX; Joe (Janet) Foster of Fort Wayne, IN; and Mary Foster (Mark) Zuwala of Winter Garden, FL. She was the devoted grandmother of five: Hannah Gibson (Michael) Gresham and Grant Gibson; Mary Foster and Nick Foster; and Jillian Zuwala. She was also a proud great grandmother to Kate Gresham. Eugenia is further survived by her loving sister-in-law Shirley Foster, brother-in-law Dennis Wager, and brother-in-law and sister-in-law Bill and Kathy Foster, along with many beloved nieces and nephews who will fondly remember her warmth, wit and unwavering encouragement. 

Mass of the Christian Burial will be 11AM  Saturday July 26, 2025 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Sterling with Father Doyle, officiating. Visitation will be 5PM-8PM Friday July 25th 2025 at Schilling Funeral Home in Sterling. There will also be a visitation on Saturday one hour prior to services from 10AM-11AM at Sacred Heart Church in Sterling. Burial will take place at Wyoming Cemetery in PawPaw IL.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to donate.cancer.org.