Obituary of Betty Foster Druck

On October 27, 2018, the life of Betty Foster Druck was celebrated at a memorial service at the Beth Israel Cemetery. Betty passed away much as she lived, peacefully, in her home, at the age of 97. She remained alert, aware, and interested in others during the last weeks of her life and was able to enjoy farewell visits from family and friends until her final few days. Betty was born on May 3, 1921 in Portland, Oregon. However, her parents, Jacob Akiba Foster and Ophelia Goodman Foster, raised their close-knit family in Sandpoint, Idaho. Eldest sister Betty (Druck), along with her younger sisters Marjorie (Saltzman) and Shirley (Fishel), known as “The Foster Girls,” remained very close throughout their lives. When the family moved back to Portland in 1938, Betty attended Lincoln High School. She then matriculated at the University of Washington and graduated from the School of Nursing in 1944. She later attended Oregon Health, where she studied for a Master’s in Public Health. Betty married Milton G. Druck in 1943 and enjoyed a loving marriage of 64 years, until he passed away from complications of Parkinson’s Disease in 2007. She and Milton were devoted parents who championed their two children, Jackie and Bernie, cheering at all their athletic events and cherishing frequent family camping vacations. After Milt’s diagnosis, the couple moved to San Diego in 1973 for his health. Betty stayed active, playing tennis in the Oaks North Tennis Group and also golf, where she proudly scored two holes-in-one! In 1992, they returned to Portland to be close to their extended family. Throughout her life, she remained an avid follower of tennis and golf and was also a faithful fan of the Blazers. To know Betty was to understand her two lifelong passions. The first was her love of family. Anyone who entered her home was treated to a visual tour of the ever expanding, extended family— with photos filling almost every inch of wall space. She was a favorite aunt of many nieces and nephews, and remained a support for them after the loss of her two younger sisters. Her second abiding interest was in medicine and health sciences, stemming from her background in nursing. Betty taught mother/baby care classes for the Red Cross in Portland, supervised Student Nurses and Student Dental Hygienists at Girls’ Polytechnic High School, taught Nursing Terminology at Mount Hood Community College, and volunteered at a Pomerado Hospital in San Diego. Over the years, Betty read extensively about health and compiled a library of notebooks filled with articles relating to her interests. Perhaps, her curiosity and lifelong learning contributed to her surviving and thriving through several bouts of cancer. Ever the nurse, she remained in charge of her own healthcare until her last days, always keeping her physicians and caregivers on their toes with her incisive questions. She formed close relationships with her devoted in-home care providers, partly because she was as interested in their lives as they were in hers. Betty is survived by her daughter, Jacqueline; son Bernard (Karen Robson); granddaughter, Devon Hodgson (Steve); grandson, Adam Druck (Marni); Karen’s son, Jake Robson (Caroline); and six “great” great-grandchildren. All who knew Betty will remember her loving kindness, her dry sense of humor, as well as her uncomplaining nature and her courage. She will be missed! Remembrances can be sent to the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute (503) 228-1730 (email: cancer@ohsu.edu), Parkinson’s of Oregon (www.parkinsonsre-sources.org), or a donation to a charity of your choice.