OBITUARY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6065, 31 December 1897, Page 4

OBITUARY.

MES T. S. FOSTER. Mrs T. S. Foster, lady principal of the Girls' Hi^h School, and wife of Mr T. S. Foster, head-master of the West Christchurch State School, died in a very sudden manner at Eangiora yesterday afternoon. She left Christchurch by the midday train on a visit to Mr William Poster, a brother-in-law, and was seevaingly in good health, although she complained of a tired feeling. Just before five o'clock she started with Mrs William Poster to walk to the residence of Mr J. W. Foster, another brother of her husband. When a short distance from the gate, she complained of a pain in her chest, and sat down on the roadside. Her , sister-in-law seeing that she was very ill, ; immediately obtained assistance, and '■ ■sent for Dr Volckman. A restorative ■was administered, and the lady appeared to revive, but about three minutes after the doctor's arrival she expired. Her body ■was taken to Mr W. Foster's residence. Unfoi-tunately, Mr T. S. Foster is at present on a cycling tour to the West Coast, and it was ascertained last night that he had been in Greymouth during the day. A strange circumstance in connection with the lady's death was that the topic of conversation immediately before she was taken ill had been the pre- : valence of sudden deaths recently. By the death of Mrs Foster, the Girls' High School loses a most efficient principal. She was devoted to her work, and •was greatly beloved by her assistants and the pupils for her kindly disposition and the conscientious manner in which she carried out her duties ; and the Board of Governors of Canterbury College will find it hard to replace her. Mrs Foster was the -eldest daughter of the late Mr "William Guise Brittan, for many years Commissioner of Crown Lands for Canterbury. Aboiit eighteen years ago she was appointed as a teacher at the West Christchurch School, and about two years afterwards she married Mr T. S. Foster, the bead-master, and she subsequently held the position of head-mistress for several years. This she relinquished to take the position of lady principal of the Girls' High School on the retirement of Mrs Macmillan Brown. She continued to fill this post xip to the time of her untimely death. To show how popular she was with the scholars, it may be mentioned th^t at the prize-giving, -which took place last Tuesday week, she received a perfect ovation f rom the large number of pnpils and friends who had assembled in the hall of Canterbury College. Mrs Foster was about fifty years of age, and she leaves her husband, a family of three children, and a large number of friends to mourn her death. She had not been very well lately, and had consulted Dr Townend, who had advised rest, as she had shown symptoms of a weak heart; and fa was her intention, after her return fromßangiora, to have gone to Akaroa for the remainder of the vacation.

Our correspondent writes as follows : — Xillinchy has just been thrown into the deepest tyloom through the death of two of its most respected residents. The deceased ■were Miss Emma Letitia Weavers and Mrs Jane Smith BelL The former was a native of the neighbourhood, and, through her never-failing goodness of disposition, had won a most enviable reputation. Mrs Sell, who died within a few hours of her neighbour, was an old colonist, and arrived in Christchurch nearly forty years ago. She then built a residence on the Papanui Eoad, where she resided for a few years ; but she subsequently settled at Killinchy, where she purchased a farm, and has remained ever since. During her extended residence in the Ellesinere district she became well known to all around, and her death, although not unexpected, cast a gloom over the neighbourhood. Both funerals were attended by an unusually large number of settlers.