Tavern business loses veteran licensee Barb Foster
Pub Date: 7/1/2008
Barbara Ann Foster, 69, of Great Falls, a long-time and widely known tavern owner, died of natural causes June 5 at a local hospital.
Barb was born Nov. 20, 1938, in Monroe, Mich. She was raised in Michigan and Black Eagle. She attended Collins School in Black Eagle and graduated from Great Falls High School in 1957.
Barb married John H. Foster in 1957, in Great Falls'; they later divorced. She married David Guon in 1981 in Great Falls, and they later divorced.
She worked for the civil service, Western Express, Victor's, the Village Inn and Sheraton Inn.
In 1958, she opened the Jack Club with her husband and parents, and sold it in 1978. In 1985, she purchased the Red Door Lounge with her mother, Bessie Carney. She was the owner of the Crown Lounge at the time of her death.
Diana Koon, executive director of the Montana Tavern Association said her memories of Barb are all good ones.
Barb was very kind hearted and considerate, very generous," Koon said. "She was very supportive of me and the association. I always got a big hug. She was quite outspoken, too, which was good'; she made you explain yourself. She was a good, conscientious member who always wanted what was fair and what was right. She was a fixture at all MTA functions. And she was entertaining, too'; always happy."
John Hayes, Cascade County Tavern Association executive secretary, said he remembers Barb fondly, too.
"I really liked that lady," he said. "To me she was the epitome of what a classy bar owner should be'; just the best. One thing I learned about being on the road with Barb convention buses, poker runs, whatever I wanted to be on the same bus she was on. No matter what the game was, she was going to win it, whether a poker hand, trivia...she was going to win.
"I remember when I was just learning to play pinochle," Hayes continued, "and she invited me to play as her partner. Well, I promptly lost us about $100 with dumb play and she just said, 'You shouldn't have played that card like that, Sweetie,' when most people would have been jumping down my throat. She was like that."
Joyce Sponheim, owner of Spoon's One-Way Saloon, was a friend of Barb's for more than 40 years.
"I think she started out (in business) as a young kid working at the High Hat, which her parents owned, peeling potatoes, probably.
"We traveled wide and far together," recalls Sponheim. The two were big fans of Dixie Land Jazz and hit all the festivals including one in Victoria, B.C., and even spent 10 days in New Orleans celebrating Barb's 60th birthday and pursuing great music. "We hit every place in New Orleans and spent five days on the Mississippi Queen paddle boat.
"Barb was a kind person, never ugly towards anyone," Sponheim said.
Barb was a board member of the Cascade County Tavern Association, as well as Budget Committee and Public Relations Committee member of the MTA. She was past president of the Copper Chapter of the American Business Women Association and was the first female Elks Club member in the United States.
Survivors include her daughters, DiAnn (Bob) Rogers of Ulm and Suzi (Kevin) O'Brien of Renton, Wash.'; a son, John (Tamra) Foster of Great Falls'; eight grandchildren, Katherine (Marc), Meghan, R.J., Danna, Jordan, Dalton, Shea and Kasidy'; and two great-grandchildren, Haeley and Julian.
She was preceded in death by her mom, dad, brother, sister, granddaughter and husbands.
Visitation was noon to 8 p.m. June 10 at O'Connor Funeral Home. Her memorial service was 3 p.m. June 11 at Hillcrest Memorial Chapel, with burial in Hillcrest Lawn Mausoleum. O'Connor Funeral Home handled arrangements.
Memorials are suggested to donor's choice.
Source: The Montana Tavern Times, April, 2008, published monthly by Continental Communications, 125 W. Granite St., Suite 102, Butte, MT 59701.