Franklin Eugene Foster
January 6, 1947 ~ August 13, 2022
Franklin Eugene “Frank” Foster, 75, passed away Saturday, August 13, 2022, at Capital Region Medical Center, Jefferson City.
He was born January 6, 1947, in Pekin, Illinois, the son of the late Franklin Eugene “Gene” Foster and Elizabeth Louise (Ubben) Foster.
He was married in St. Louis on September 3, 1971, to Chanda Kay Lewis who preceded him in death on January 14, 2019.
Frank graduated from Pekin High School in 1965.
He then attended Shimer College in Mt. Carroll, Illinois where he graduated in three years with a B.A. in Social Sciences. Following his undergraduate studies, Frank then enrolled in law school at Washington University in St. Louis. Unfortunately, his legal studies were interrupted by the draft.
After serving in the Vietnam War from 1969 to 1971, Frank resumed law school.
Upon graduation he joined the Missouri Bar in 1974. He practiced law with a variety of corporations until 1978 when he became an attorney for the Bureau of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) under the Missouri Department of Health.
Frank worked for the state until the mid nineties and then subsequently launched his own private practice, EMS Legal Services, where he continued to serve EMS and fire protection districts around the state until his passing.
Frank had a loving, generous spirit and was known for his self-deprecating humor and passion for life-long learning.
He is survived by his daughter, Rachelle (Bryan) Dunlap, Jefferson City; two grandsons, Foster Dunlap and Paul Dunlap; one brother Albert (Glenna) Foster, Fort Collins Colorado; two nieces, Jessica Foster-Geiger (Steve), Santa Rosa Valley, California, Sabrina Mantz (Bob), Fort Collins, Colorado; one brother-in-law, Kent Lewis, St. Louis, and many friends and colleagues around the state.
A private family ceremony will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to Supporting Heroes, 11400 Decimal Dr., Suite 1002, Louisville, KY 40269.
Services entrusted to Trimble Funeral Homes – Jefferson City. trimblefunerals.com
View current weather.
Memories Timeline
Guestbook
Sign the Guestbook, Light a Candle
Condolences to Frank’s family. He is a great loss to the Emergency Medical Services of Missouri.
Prayers for the family I met him thru EMS he was
Always very helpful
Frank had a razor sharp mind and a rapier wit to match. From my time on my local ambulance district board to my time in the private EMS industry to my time in the state legislature, I always considered Frank to be the most trusted legal source when it came to state laws regulating the EMS industry. His service to his country, his state and the EMS community will not soon be forgotten. May he rest in eternal peace.
As the Chief of an Ambulance District and the President of the Ambulance District Association of Missouri, Frank was the smartest guy I knew when it came to EMS law. I trusted him with my career and the decisions I would make based on his counsel. I loved his quick wit and he always ended our conversations with a quote from someone. I considered him a colleague and friend. He seemed to always have time for my phone calls. I will miss him. My thoughts are with his family. Know that he has left an indelible mark on EMS and on all of our lives.
On behalf of the Christian County Ambulance District, our condolences for the family. As the Director for the District, I had the honor of working with Frank on large and small projects, almost monthly. He was never bothered with the amount of questions I sent his way, and always had the exact response I needed, and the best, witty humor to finish our phone calls and email conversations. He will be greatly missed by our district and so many across the state.
Frank was a giant in Missouri EMS. He created language for laws and regulations that was instrumental in the formation of our industry. He served as a legal resource for numerous EMS agencies. Many times his pay was only a heartfelt thank you. He loved helping EMS people and EMS people loved Frank. We cannot imagine how the void he left will ever be filled. We will miss him terribly.
On behalf of St Francois County Ambulance District, we offer our prayers and condolences to the family. Frank was one of a kind, and will be dearly missed. We have worked with him since at least 2004 from our first $500 annual retainer payment. He did this because he loved all things EMS. All we had to do was call and give him the shortest briefing on our problem. He just KNEW what the situation was and how to answer so perfectly. He was amazing. We depended on him so much over the years, and were so fortunate to have him. We too considered him a friend and trusted him with all our needs. He was never too busy and always responded promptly and efficiently. He is irreplaceable.
On behalf of Gasconade County 911 and it’s Board of Directors, I would like to express our deepest sympathy for your loss. Frank represented us and guided us for well over 15 years. I cannot put in writing how much Frank has impacted our agency and me personally over the years. He was always there when we needed him and would even throw in a few laughs. We were lucky to have had him all of these years. His prints are in law as he has written his fair share of it for 911, improving 911 statewide. He was one of a kind and I will miss him dearly.
On behalf of Lake West Ambulance, we want to offer our sincere condolences to his family. Frank always had the perfect answer to all our questions. He had this amazing sense of humor and quick wit, and the things he could recall and quote…interesting and informative. He will be missed by many.
My thoughts and prayers are with you. I got the pleasure of knowing Frank when we retained his services for our EMS service. I never realized the impact he would have on me at the time but after a few conversations with him I knew he would impact it somehow and he did just that with his knowledge and joke telling. I always looked forward to every conversation I had with him. He is definitely missed already and I was heartbroken to hear of his passing. Prayers.
Frank is a great man whom was a pleasure to work with. Smartest most knowledgeable man I’ve ever met. Will be dearly missed. Prayers to the family.
On behalf of the Ava Area Ambulance District I extend our condolences. As board president I can honestly say I never presented Frank with a legal question he could not answer immediately (although I sometimes had trouble interpreting what he said). Word of Frank’s death was a shock. He will be missed. He knew EMS better than anyone I know.
I will miss sitting with Frank at conferences, he truly was my go to person for any questions or advice. I would call him
At all hours of the day and night and he always would answer the phone like he was waiting for me to call eagerly answering my questions. We will miss you Inter City Fire Protection District .
I knew Frank back at Pekin (IL) High School. He was the smartest kid I knew. We often played chess at his house on Park Avenue or on nice days up at the Mineral Springs Park, and he nearly always won. Frank had an infectious sense of humor to go along with his flaming red hair. I went to his graduation in 1965 (I was in the class of ’66) and when the class marched in to the beat of ‘Pomp and Circumstance’, we all chuckled because as smart as Frank was, he had trouble marching in step. Sadly, by the late ’60’s we lost touch, but I never forgot him. Very sorry to hear of his passing, my sincere condolences to his family.
I knew Franklin since grade school, he was a super guy! Sending prayers for the whole family🙏🙏🙏
The Southern Platte County Ambulance District had a long relationship with Frank Foster. I had several conversations with Frank the week before his death and was scheduled to have a conference call with him Monday of this week. He was always agreeable to help and could quote statutes as if he had written them himself. And he had quite a sense of humor. He definitely will be missed. Our sincere condolences to his family.
Frank was an amazing asset to many emergency services in the state of Missouri. I only got to work closely with him since May of 2021. I became the Chief of EMS for a district that was in turmoil. His guidance, advice, humor, and conversations were the light in the darkness. He always had the information needed off the top of his head. I will miss the times the e-mails did not go through and we had a discussion about the Osage Indians that have highjacked his e-mails.
When I took over this position, he had offered to write me a letter of recommendation. He told me that if I was able to get the situation cleaned up here then he would write a letter of recommendation to the Secretary of the State in Washington D.C.. He told me there is a little conflict between Palestine and Israel and if I could bring peace to this situation then that conflict would be an easy one. We had many good laughs over that conversation. His jovial laughter and ability to have a light hearted conversation will be greatly missed. The phone calls were not merely a business for him, they were building relationships and friendships. I never had the opportunity to meet him in person, but the way he conducted business always portrayed a friendship and not just a paycheck.
There was one particular time we were discussing a piece of legislation in regards to tax income. I don’t recall the particular statute but he sent it to me and I read it. Then I called him back and we discussed it. That statute stated “along with”. I asked him about it and he stated that you can either do one or the other. So I asked him about that particular verbiage and he said “Joe, I am going to have to start paying you for consultation if you don’t quit doing this. The way that is written you can do both and I never caught that. Joe, I helped write that and never caught those two words. Don’t be sending me a bill because that might be a conflict of interest.” It is those hour or so long conversations that are going to be missed.
The emergency services in the state of Missouri has lost and irreplaceable asset. Frank will be dearly missed for many reasons and not only for his knowledge. His friendship and comradery is going to be the biggest loss. Carroll County Ambulance District sends our deepest sympathies and prayers to the family and friends.
Working with Frank at the State BEMS was quite an experience! His legal videos were done by me. I was his tech support at BEMS while he was learning to use legal data providers’ systems and after he formed EMS Legal, including the home electronics.
Frank helped make the BEMS a top-notch nationally- recognized award-winning mentoring agency that many states were jealous of. His friendship, humor, and laughter will be much missed.
My first memory of Frank goes back to 1960, when he sang “No Place Like Home for the Holidays” at the Washington Junior High Christmas assembly. At Pekin Community High School, we were on the debate team together (Frank is on the right). We played a lot of chess and he usually won. He was just about the smartest guy I knew, and he had a sense of humor that got us all laughing. Several of us went to his graduation: as the Class of 1965 marched in to the beat of ‘Pomp and Circumstance’, Frank was out of step, and that gave us all a chuckle. Sadly we lost touch by the late ’60’s. All the comments here tell me Frank was as close to people’s hearts and loved today as he was back then. Sincere condolences to the family!
On behalf of Salt River Ambulance District and its board of Directors, I would like to convey our sincerest condolences to Franks family. Frank was our legal counsel for over 15 years and was one of a kind. Franks’s wealth of knowledge and skills will be missed.
I lived a block south of Frank on S. 7th St, Pekin, Il. Walked numerous times home in junior high. Great guy and one of the most intelligent people I ever knew.
I have known Frank for over 30 years and even though we never met our relationship was very special. He was one in a million. He was sharp, witty and a sense of humor that would be hard to match. Be at peace Frank. My heart aches. I miss you very much. My sincere condolences to his family.
When I met Frank in person for the first time I was amazed by his knowledge and understanding of the EMS industry in Missouri. Over the years we became colleagues and more importantly good friends. I leaned on Frank too many times to count over the years. He was on retainer for all the ambulance districts we contract with and provided sound advise and guidance to all of the districts he worked with through out the State. It would be impossible to measure the impact Frank has had on the EMS industry in Missouri and his absence will create a void that will not be easily filled. For those of us left behind, Frank’s dry humor and self deprecating style will serve as the foundation of the memories and experiences that we have all been the beneficiaries of as friends of Frank. Frank died to soon and to suddenly robbing us of the opportunity to express just how meaningful his friendship and mentorship has been to us. Frank died doing what he loved to do, working on and EMS project and we shall not begrudge him of that. Farewell my friend!
I was so disturbed to hear about Frank’s passing and my thoughts and prayers go out to the entire family. Frank was a true gentleman and exemplified both honor and integrity, values that are so rarely seen today. We’ve had many conversations and laughs over the years as we discussed everything from EMS to the DJIA. What an amazing man and a genuine friend to all. I struggle to find the adequate words as I dwell upon my memories of Frank. What a monumental loss to the EMS community and the state as a whole! There will never be another Frank Foster and I’m sincerely thankful for the time we were blessed with his presence on earth. Rest in peace, my friend! I’ll miss our conversations and the many laughs together!
On behalf of the Eagle Rock-Golden-Mano Fire Protection District, we would like to send condolences. Frank will truly be missed. His humor was outstanding, his knowledge of the EMS world was outstanding. There was never a time we called or reached out to Frank that he didn’t make you feel like you were his one and only client. He was incredible and the news of his passing was shocking. Sending much love to his family. We are truly Sorry for your loss.
My heart is broken for your family and for all of us who knew Frank and considered him a friend.
His unexpected passing has been felt by so many of us in public safety. Frank has represented Jasper County 9-1-1 for over 10 years. I have know and worked with him since 2005 in multiple 9-1-1 centers. He was one of the most generous, intelligent, and caring individuals I have had the honor of working with. He gave so much to public safety. He would take calls or return calls into the evening, often times humoring me in my crazy questions and hypotheticals. He and I often laughed about how we could write a book together about the many odd questions I would pose. He would joke and answers my calls asking what stories and craziness I had come up with this time. He always amazed me with his ability to recall case law and statutes, down to the section. His wit and drive was unmatched. He will be so missed.
Thank you for sharing Frank with us. His dedication and love for 9-1-1 and public safety will never be forgotten. 💛 He was truly one of a kind.
I will keep you all in my thoughts and prayers and will forever hold the great lessons close that Frank taught me throughout the years.
I met Frank in early 1980 when he lectured to our Paramedic program. I then worked with him at the Bureau during his time there, after he left and until my retirement. We worked closely on many projects, on both sides of the table. His wisdom, knowledge and sense of humor will be remembered always. What I remember best is when I retired, We’d run into each other in WalMart and share a good laugh. Missouri EMS has lost a true pioneer.