Bruce Foster Sr.

Dec 3, 1933 -

Aug 26, 2023

Respected elder and lifelong Alaskan Bruce Anthony Foster Sr. passed away of natural causes in Anchorage, Alaska, on Aug. 26, 2023.

Bruce was born at Unga, Alaska, on Dec. 3, 1933, to Cecilia Isberg and John Foster Sr. He spent his early years at Unga attending the Unga Territorial School. During summers as a teen, he worked on the salmon fish trap at Kelly's Rock and trapped foxes. Bruce purchased his first fishing vessel at the age of 16, and participated in all aspects of the commercial fisheries, eventually retiring at the age of 82. He also spent winters working as the plant engineer at the Squaw Harbor and Sand Point fish canneries.

Bruce's family was one of the last Fosters to live at Unga. In 1957, he married his sweetheart, Mary Larsen.

Bruce generously represented the Aleut people of the region, serving for over 20 years as a board member for the Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association. He also served as a board member for the Unga Corporation and the Unga Tribal Council along with advocating for the local fisheries on the Sand Point Advisory Fish Board.

Bruce maintained a wealth of knowledge and had numerous stories to tell. He played the accordion and guitar at the Unga Dance Hall and would play for his grandchildren. Replicating wooden dories and schooners into model boats and sharing his knowledge in replicating a jig for bentwood visors were favorite pastimes. He relished time on the beaches panning for gold and while in the city playing bingo.

Bruce was preceded in death by his father John; mother, Cecilia; and siblings, Andrew, Harry, Olga, John, Kenneth, Alma, Thomas and Russell. Bruce leaves children, Amy (Jack), Sherry and Bruce Jr.; grandchildren, Sheena, Sharayah, Jack III and Maria Skye; seven great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

For service information, please visit www.legacyalaska.com.