A visitation for Olan Ray Foster, 84, of Jacksonville, will be held from 10-11 a.m., Thursday, April 3, 2025, at Autry Funeral Home in Jacksonville. He will be laid to rest that afternoon at 2 p.m., at Guiceland Cemetery in Houston County.
Olan Ray was born on July 5, 1940, to Olan and Pearl (Bledsoe) Foster and went to be with the Lord on March 30, 2025.
A proud Army veteran, Olan Ray served his country as a paratrooper. After his service, he was a dairyman and then moved into the manufacturing field at GE, which later became Trane. Olan Ray was a Baptist, and his passions were firmly rooted in the land and the simple joys of life. Blessed with a green thumb, he cultivated abundant vegetable gardens and raised chickens. A true Texan at heart, Olan Ray was a devoted fan of the Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers.
Olan Ray was preceded in death by his parents.
Left to cherish his memory are his wife, Jeanette Smith Foster; sons, Randall Foster and Robert Foster and wife, Michelle, all of Jacksonville; daughter, Renda Willson and husband, Terry, of Hollister, MO; siblings, Patsy Cheek and husband, Johnny, of Mt. Pleasant, Gary Foster and wife, Sherrie, of Avinger, Sherry Martin and husband, David, of Paradise, and Vicky Foster, of Dallas; grandchildren, Garret Foster, Zoe Foster, Ryan Martin and husband, Jarrod, Patrick Foster, Logan Willson and wife, Ashley, and Shayla Bailey and husband, Nathan; 7 great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Rather than customary condolences, the family requests donations be made to Guiceland Cemetery Association at P.O. Box 571, Grapeland, TX 75844.