Athlete.
Born at Winnipeg on 12 April 1927 to Scottish immigrant parents, Helen Christie “Nellie” Gray (1887-1972) and Andrew Wilson Bruce “Andy” Foster (1884-19764), he attended Gordon Bell High School, and then graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree from the University of Manitoba, where he also enjoyed the fellowship of Sigma Lambda Phi fraternity.
Following graduation, he started his career path with the Great-West Life Assurance Company in Winnipeg, and remained there for 34 years, retiring at age 55. In 1956, he married Phyllis Gay Newman (1932-2013), with whom he went on to have two children. He was long standing member of St. James Anglican Church and a dedicated Board Member for the St. Norbert Treatment Foundation and Behaviour Centre.
He was also an athlete, playing basketball for the University of Manitoba Bisons; soccer with the Faculty teams; curling for many years at the Winnipeg Winter Club; and playing his favourite game, tennis, until a stroke in 1999 prevented him from continuing. Before that, he was the Manitoba Provincial Singles champion for six years and won many doubles titles with his partner and friend, Dr. Ken McRae. He won three Canadian National titles in Senior Singles and Doubles in 1988, and that same year was awarded the Province of Manitoba’s Order of Sports Excellence. In 2006, he became the first inductee into the Manitoba Tennis Hall of Fame.
He was a gifted pianist and composer and filled his home with his favourite songs. As well, he was an enthusiastic duplicate-bridge player, a strong chess player, and enjoyed any challenge to solve a mathematical puzzle. He spent a lot of time at the family cottage in Whytewold and took many vacations with his wife, Gay. He was appreciated for his sportsmanship, his gentleness, and his sense of humour.
He died at Winnipeg on 18 March 2012.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 20 March 2012.
“Arthur Webster Gray Foster,” Foster-Boult Family Tree, Ancestry.
This page was prepared by Lois Braun.
Page revised: 9 April 2026
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