Jacksonville, Texas - Olan Ray Foster

A visitation for Olan Ray Foster, 84, of Jacksonville, will be held from 10-11 a.m., at Autry Funeral Home in Jacksonville. He will be laid to rest that afternoon at 2 p.m., Thursday, April 3, 2025, 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, Garrett 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.