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Andrew "Drew" William Foster
Born: 1/11/2000
Died: 3/30/2023
Age: 23
Community: Flushing, MI
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Andrew William “Drew” Foster, age 23, of Flushing, Michigan, officially earned his wings on March 30, 2023. He died peacefully at home, surrounded by the people that loved him more than anything else in the entire universe. Visitation will be held at Goggins Hall in Flushing, Michigan, (located next door to Rossell Funeral Home) on Thursday, April 6, 2023, from 3:00 p.m.- 8:00 p.m. A “Celebration of Drew’s Life and General All-Around Awesomeness” will be held in the same location, Goggins Hall, on Friday, April 7, 2023, and will begin promptly at 1:11 p.m. There is no need to dress up, or wear all black. Please feel free to dress casually, comfortably and colorfully. Anything with polka dots would be especially welcomed. Cremation will take place following his service.
Drew probably wishes that we could say that he died from something cool, like an unsuccessful attempt at wrestling an alligator in the Florida Everglades while visiting his Grams & Gramps for spring break; or perhaps from being mauled by a pack of wild Pomeranians; or maybe even from trying to be the first person to ever successfully climb Mount Everest in a motorized all-terrain wheelchair; unfortunately that was not the case. In the end, it was cancer that had formed in his brain and along his spinal cord, taking yet another life, far too early.
From the day he was born, on January, 11, 2000, Drew was, both literally and figuratively, one of a kind. At the time, he was the only known documented case of having both Osteogenesis Imperfecta (brittle bones) and Neurocutaneous Hypermelanosis (his general spottiness), a fact he took great pride in.
He was an old soul, a creative soul, a true Renaissance man at heart. He was an artist, a writer, a poet, and most importantly to him, a musician. (He was, however, NOT a mathematician. He hated math with the flaming hot passion of a million suns. He would want to make sure that fact was properly documented). He also had a number of hobbies over the years, but among them, defying odds and confounding medical professionals were a couple of his favorites.
Although we said goodbye to him much too soon, Drew would not want anyone reading this today to think of his life as sad or tragic, because it was anything but. Drew was an extraordinary person that lived an extraordinary life. He had more exciting adventures, knew more love and support, and touched more lives in his brief time of 23 years here on this earth, than most people who live to be 100.
He represented the state of Michigan as the 2007 Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals “Champion”, and traveled to the White House and shook hands with the president, George W. Bush. He posed for pictures with Mary Lou Retton, and was invited on stage by, and handed a drumstick from, the lead singer of Air Supply once during a concert. He shopped with (and subsequently had a pirate sword battle in the lobby of a Disney hotel with) Marie Osmond, and rocked out with the Jonas Brothers privately during a sound check and concert rehearsal. He received the key to the city, and had March 23, 2007 officially declared “Drew Foster Day” in the city of Flint by the mayor that year. He met NFL players, NBA players and MLB players. He met singers, actors and celebrities of all kinds. He donned the Miss America crown, on more than one occasion, and celebrated his 11th birthday, his “Golden Birthday,” on stage at the 2011 Miss America pageant in Las Vegas. He met nearly every living former Miss America that year. It truly was, as they say, a wonderful life.
Throughout his life, Drew had some remarkable experiences, but he also tried to give back as much as he received. That was just part of the awesomeness that was Drew. Over the years, Drew raised over $20,000 for our local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital, Hurley Medical Center. When he was younger, he had a number of birthday parties to collect donations to be given to places like the Ronald McDonald House and Shriner’s Hospitals. And later in life, when he discovered his love of hunting and fishing with his dad, he ultimately inspired the creation of the D.R.E.W. Foundation. These are just a few examples of how he lived his life with kindness and generosity, and a philosophy of “paying it forward.”
In his brief time here, Drew touched countless lives, with his spirit, his courage, his love, and his humor, the reach of which we will never fully know. He has left an indelible mark, and an incalculable impact on this world of ours. We know, without a doubt, that the world is a better place because Drew was here, and we know he’d be the first to agree. (Drew was good at a lot of things, humility was not one of them, nor was math, as previously mentioned.) He will truly be missed beyond measure.
“Look for the happy spots in your life!” - Drew Foster
Already lovingly awaiting his arrival on March 30, 2023, were (undoubtedly front and center) his grandparents, Gary & Linda McClure; and great-grandparents, William & Ruby (“Nana”) Hertzberg, Harold & Calla Foster, and Raymond & Kathryn Peltier.
Patiently waiting until they can see him again one day are his parents, Chad & Angela Foster; grandparents, Thomas & Deborah Foster (“Gramps & Grams”), James “Pete” Peltier (“Gwampy”), and Therese Peltier (“Gingi”); uncles and aunts, Tim & Sarah Foster, Katie Peltier, and Pete & Ryan Peltier; and cousins, Alex Foster, and Poe & Max Peltier.
Drew’s parents would like to express their sincerest gratitude to a number of people for being part of Drew’s story. They will be forever grateful for your love and support; to all their family, and friends that they’ve made throughout the years, who’ve loved Drew and helped support them along the way; to the caring doctors and nurses that supported them, and cared for Drew from his first days in the NICU, and throughout the past 23 years; to his physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, school nurses, parapros, and teachers, throughout his life, but especially during his time at Durant-Tuuri-Mott Elementary School in Flint. The love, support, inclusion and acceptance he received there were some of the best days of his entire life, and will always be deeply cherished; to the Shriner’s Hospital in Montreal, Quebec, for making dozens of surgeries and treatments feel like fun vacations for Drew and every other child; to their medical teams at CS Mott Children’s Hospital and the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor for always providing Drew with the very best care they could’ve possibly asked for, right until the very end; to the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and Hurley Medical Center for making them part of their family all those years ago and giving their little guy opportunities and adventures most people can only dream of; to the Miss Michigan and Miss America organizations for welcoming them into your world, and showing Drew more love than they could’ve ever possibly imagined, and always making him feel like a rockstar; to Drew’s hunting buddies, and founders of the D.R.E.W. Foundation, for feeling inspired enough to start an entire organization in his honor so that people with disabilities who face physical challenges can enjoy the outdoors like anyone else; and finally, to Elara Caring Hospice for being there to help them through their most difficult moments. Thank you.
If you would like to honor Drew’s memory, please consider donating to one of the following organizations, or simply surprise someone with a random act of kindness one day. Drew would agree that this world of ours could use a little more kindness.
Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals (Hurley Medical Center)
https://donate.childrensmiraclenetworkhospitals.org/
Hurley Medical Center (CMNH/Pediatric Services or Child & Family Services)
https://www.hurleyfoundation.org/donate
Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC Ann Arbor, Mi or RMHC of Chicagoland, IL)
https://rmhc.org/donate
Shriner’s Hospital for Children (Canada-Montreal, Quebec)
https://donate.lovetotherescue.org/give/119312/#!/donation/checkout?utm_source=shrinerschildrens&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=donateheader&utm_campaign=shrinerschildrens&c_src=shrinerschildrens&c_src2=header
The D.R.E.W. Foundation
https://drew-foundation.org/
Your local Humane Society or favorite animal rescue of choice.
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| Visitation |
| Date: |
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4/6/2023 |
| Time: |
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3:00 PM |
| Visitation will be held at Goggins Hall in Flushing, Michigan, (located next door to Rossell Funeral Home) on Thursday, April 6, 2023, from 3:00 p.m.- 8:00 p.m. |
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