Mrs. Gladys Harris Foster of 402 West 1st Avenue, Cordele, Georgia died Monday, April 4, 2022 at the Crisp Regional Hospital in Cordele, Georgia.

The funeral service will be held Sunday, April 10, 2022 at 12:00 Noon at the J. W. Williams Funeral Home Porte Cochere in Cordele, Georgia.  The burial will follow at the Westview Cemetery in Cordele, Georgia.  Everyone in attendance is asked to please wear a mask and to practice social distancing.

Blessings come in many ways to every family.  On February 3, 1924 Luther Harris and LeAnna Waters Harris were blessed with a lovely daughters whom they named Gladys.  She was the fifth child of what would become nine, Laura, Ida Mae, Cubia, Dan, Gladys, LeAnna, Willie B. (Bill), Pearlene, and Allene.  All of her siblings preceded her in death.

Because her parents were religious, they realized Gladys  needed God in her life and encouraged her to join the church at an early age.  When the family moved to Cordele she joined the Mount Calvary Baptist Church at the age of nine and was baptized.  There she was a member of the Mount Calvary  Baptist Church of 89 years, making her the oldest member of the church.

She was an active member most of her life.  She was a member of the Junior Usher Board, the BYPU, which later became the BTU, attended Sunday School through her  childhood and later taught the Primary class for several years.  She taught Vacation Bible School and served as a senior usher as long as she was able to.  She then served as Supervisor for the Juniors; helped revive the Mission and was a strong member of the group, serving as the leader for the weekly circle meetings.

Her educational background includes attending Gillespie-Selden Institute from primary to high school.  Additional education included:  Paine College, Augusta, Georgia; Albany State University, Albany, Georgia, Scarret College, Nashville, Tennessee; Georgia Southwestern College, Americus, Georgia, and University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia.

All of these schools helped to prepare Mrs. Foster for her position as Director of Gillespie Day Care Center for many years.

On Monday, April 4, 2022 her life came to a peaceful end.  She is also preceded by her beloved son, Mr. Karlyn Roy Foster.

To cherish her memories and mourn her passing are a loving and devoted son, Wayne S. Foster of Warwick, Georgia; two grandsons, Shawn McManus (Zakia) and Kameron Wilcox (Halleigh) of Fitzgerald, Georgia; two great grandchildren, Myles McManus and Rynleigh Wilcox; a daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Wilcox Foster of Fitzgerald, Georgia; a brother-in-law, James A. Smith of Cordele, Georgia; ten  nieces and eight nephews; many grand nieces and grand nephews, cousins, and friends.