Lois Adele Steele Foster's Obituary
Lois Adele Steele Foster
October 4, 1932 – April 6, 2017
Lois was born to Fred and Ada Steele in East Orange, NJ., and grew up in rural Florham Park, and Chatham Township, N.J. To know her was to love and appreciate her. She happily accepted many names and roles in her life: Daughter, Sister, Aunt, Mom, Friend, Educator, Schoolmarm, Lowey and, the one that perhaps describes her best, Sunshine. She shone brightly on, and loved deeply, most everyone and everything within her line of sight, sound and touch for 84 years. She loved flowers of all kinds, but especially purple irises, nasturtiums and daisies. She was an expert on most all the wildflowers, shrubs and trees of northern California.
Having been trained as an educator, and seeing some of the pitfalls in public schools and large classrooms, she dreamed of an environment that allowed students to experience the joy of learning, one in which students were empowered to seek their own path and find their own answers. She believed deeply in experiencing life and experiential learning and she founded Woods Edge (1973) and Archway School (1980) in Oakland, embarking on an exciting chapter in her life. As Head of School for more than 30 years, she fostered the authentic curiosity of hundreds of elementary and middle school students. She was a visionary who lived, breathed and wrote copiously about education. She was the driving force behind hundreds of field trips, hands-on learning experiences and scientific discoveries for students, teachers and administrators alike.
Lois was a lifelong learner as well as a teacher. At various times she attended the University of Vermont, the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, UC Berkeley, Holy Names University and Saint Mary’s College of California, earning a B.A. in education at the University of Utah, and a M.A. in education at Saint Mary’s College.
Lois is survived by her beloved husband of 57 years, W. Reed Foster, sons Stephen Edward Peltz (and his partner, Sam Murphy), William Reed Foster Jr., (and his wife Karen Franchino, and grandchildren Grace, Charles & Joseph), Glenn Steele Foster (and his wife, Natalie, and grandchildren Camille & Ben), niece Dana Keppel Lee (her husband Ed Lee, and their children, Kevin, Gregory and Steven), nephew Matthew Keppel (and his wife Shelly), and, we believe, her beloved tortoise of many years, Henrietta. She is predeceased by her parents Ada and Fred Steele, her sister Virginia Steele Keppel and her nephew, Mark Keppel.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Lois’ honor to UC Berkeley Graduate School of Education (give.berkeley.edu/teachers), Alzheimer’s Services of the East Bay, the East Bay SPCA or to a charity of your choice.
A memorial service for Lois will be held at 10:00am Saturday, April 29, 2017, at the Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland, CA 94611, with a reception to follow.
What’s your fondest memory of Lois?
What’s a lesson you learned from Lois?
Share a story where Lois' kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Lois you’ll never forget.
How did Lois make you smile?