Nena Foster

Nena Venice Flake Foster finished her mortal journey on May 18, 2026. Nena was born August 4, 1933 to Bruce Merlin Flake and Irene Stratton Flake, in Snowflake, Arizona, a town founded by her great grandfather. As the second child and oldest daughter in a family with eight children, she grew up helping in the home and nurturing her younger siblings.

She graduated high school in 1951, having served as the editor of the “Lobo Howl”, her school newspaper. She and her twin sisters decided they would attend college at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. In the fall of 1954, she accepted the opportunity to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She served in and around Mexico City, spending thirteen months in the “mission home” where she spent long days typing manuals for church use across Mexico. Her mission heavily influenced her future, as she chose to study Spanish when she returned to BYU and spent years thereafter teaching this language.

While teaching in El Paso, mutual friends encouraged her to start a mail correspondence with Arnold Foster, who was teaching in Hallettsville, Texas. Their long-distance courtship worked and they were married August 23, 1967. After living in Kentucky and Illinois, they moved their young family to Madisonville, Texas. She was not afraid to take on any project, including constructing elements of their home and earning her Master’s Degree at Sam Houston State University.

Nena worked for Madisonville School District for over twenty-five years teaching Spanish and English as a second language, endearing herself to the Spanish-speaking community. She and Arnold raised four children, Preston (Angela), Derrold (Rachel), Lynita, and Bart (Betty). She dearly loved family history research and volunteering in the Houston Temple for her church. Writing poems, lyrics to hymns, and even plays for church youth, as well as sewing quilts and pillows, were among her talents. In her later years, she enjoyed spending time and sharing her interests with her fourteen grandchildren and nine great grandchildren. Her funeral service will be shared with her husband of nearly fifty-nine years. Arnold and Nena loved and cared for each other in their home and were blessed with a short separation, as Arnold passed away only five days prior to Nena.

Visitation will be held Thursday, May 28, 2026, from 6 to 8 P.M. at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Madisonville. The funeral service will be held Friday, May 29, 2026, at 10 A.M. at the same location followed by burial in the Jozye Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Jozye Cemetery Association; Attn: Derrold Foster, 1166 CR 316 Caldwell, TX 77836 or Madison County Fair Association, PO Box 1151 Madisonville, TX 77864.

Final arrangements for Nena Venice Flake Foster are under the compassionate care and direction of Madisonville Funeral Home, Madisonville, Texas.