Elizabeth Jean Abate Foster

Elizabeth Jean Abate Foster, 91, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, surrounded by her loving family. She was born on January 6, 1935, in Lake Charles, Louisiana, to Roy and Lucille DiBartolo Abate Sr. She spent the majority of her life in Lake Charles and moved to Silsbee, TX after hurricane Laura to be near her daughter Donna.

Elizabeth attended St. Charles Academy and was a devout Catholic, faithfully serving as a member of St. Margaret Catholic Church. She found great joy in playing cards with friends weekly and teaching her children and grandchildren. She loved camping, traveling, and cooking, while always making sure there was enough to eat and take home as well. Spaghetti and mystery fried chicken were hallmarks at the table for Sunday lunches.

She dedicated 18 years of service as a cafeteria worker at Oak Park Middle School, retiring on December 18, 1998. Above all, Elizabeth cherished time spent with her family and friends.

Those left to honor and cherish her memory include her children: Donna Faye Tucker and husband John of Silsbee, TX; Beverly Ann Malone and husband Mark of Senoia, GA; Connie Jane Barboza of Bellevue, NE; Kenneth Paul Foster and wife Audra of Iowa, LA; and Wendy Kay Webb and husband Deland of Moss Bluff, LA., sisters-in-law Donita Abate and Fern Foster, son-in-law Paul Arnold. She also leaves behind thirteen grandchildren and thirty great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 58 years, JT Foster; her parents; her siblings, Roy Abate Jr., Gloria Anne Abate Covert, and Victor Abate; and her grandchildren, Kody Foster and Amber Garcia.

Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, April 6, 2026, at Johnson Funeral Home. Visitation will begin at 11:00 a.m. and continue until the time of service. She will be laid to rest next to her beloved JT, at Highland Memory Gardens Cemetery.