We are sad to share that our beautiful mom passed away on December 18, 2025, in her Plantation, Florida home. She left us peacefully, surrounded by family, leaving behind a legacy of generosity, strength, and endless love.

Debbie was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1945. She was excited to learn just last week that her young biological parents were both of Italian descent and became U.S. citizens, with her birth father even serving in the U.S. Navy. As a baby, she was adopted into a very loving family and was constantly surrounded by numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins who treated her as if she was their own. Her parents Maurice and Sylvia Foss worked in Manhattan, both in the garment district and department stores. Her dad was also a talented musician. Her brother, Stuart M. Foss, served in the U.S. Air Force and eventually became a federal judge.

As a teenager, Debbie moved to Florida and soon met Francis Sterling Foster, whom she married after they both graduated from McArthur High School in Hollywood. They moved to Dania Beach on an oak-lined street into a duplex home built by Oscar Larsen, who became their landlord and friend. They enjoyed feeding the squirrels and helping him tend to the property, living on an acre of land filled with fruit trees that eventually became their own. Fran was a gifted auto mechanic and store manager whose family was originally from upstate New York. He eventually opened his own garage and corporation. Debbie became an elementary school teacher after earning her master’s degree in education at FAU and her gifted specialist certification at Nova Southeastern University, teaching the children of Hollywood Hills Elementary School for her 33-year career. She then became a member of the Broward Teachers Union Retirees Chapter and stayed busy playing canasta, Bunco, Mah Jongg, and attending book clubs.

Debbie and Fran had three children together: Michelle, Rebecca, and Daniel. Each of their kids learned industriousness, generosity, and kindness from their parents, and became successful adults with their own legacies to leave, partly because of them. Fran passed away at just 53 years old.

Later in life, Debbie met a wonderful man named William (Bill) Tessar, and they dated for ten years. They got married in 2010. Bill brought his own two sons into the family: Cory and Jesse. Bill became a second dad to Danny in his formative years, while Michelle and Rebecca had already graduated and moved out of the house. Three years ago, Bill and Debbie downsized and moved to Lauderdale West in Plantation. She enjoyed Bill’s passion for trains and joined him as members of the Florida Citrus Model Train Society. But her greatest joy was spending time with her grandchildren. Debbie played an active role in their lives and did everything she could to be with them as often as possible.

Debbie fought breast cancer, then ovarian cancer, beginning in 2019. She endured many treatments and surgeries. Dr. Matthew Pearson, her life-saving surgeon from the University of Miami, always reminded her that the cancer would return, and it was not of matter of “if,” but “when.” But Debbie would not hear of anything that seemed negative. Through her long and winding cancer journey, she taught those around her what it looks like to live bravely and always with hope for a cure, while enjoying life to the fullest despite all obstacles. She joined a cancer survivors’ group and supported other women in their own recoveries to help her stay positive.

Debbie was not only our mother. She was a devoted wife, sister, aunt, cousin, and grandma. She was a dedicated public school teacher and knew she wanted to educate children from the time she was a little girl. She was an enthusiastic traveler who visited most of the United States and dozens of countries all over the world. She was a true friend, calling everyone in her phone book as often as she could. She was a caring neighbor, saying hello to whomever she might encounter, encouraging friendships and extending kindness. She was a person who brought a smile to every room she entered. Mom had a knack for finding joy in the little things. She was deeply loved and will always be with us in spirit. Debbie is survived by her loving husband Bill; her daughters Michelle Foster Sammartino (Chris) and Rebecca Foster Perry in Utah; her son Daniel Francis Foster in Texas; her son Cory Lindahl-Tessar in Florida; her son Jesse Lindahl-Tessar in North Carolina; their partners; her five grandchildren; and her many cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends all over the world.

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