Richard Steven Foltz

Winston-Salem March 2, 1947 - July 6, 2016
Mr. Richard Steven Foltz, 69, of Winston-Salem, died peacefully on Wednesday, July 6, 2016 at Fairview Southdale Hospital, surrounded by family. Born to Mary Ida Spaugh and Luther Sylvester Foltz in 1947, Richard grew up in Winston-Salem. While attending Griffith School Richard met his lifelong sweetheart, Margie Lynn Wolfe at a Hi-Fi dance at the fairgrounds. Sometimes he would walk the five miles to her family's home in Ardmore. To fix this problem, Richard paid a neighbor a few hundred dollars for an old Ford A-Model. Richard proposed to Lynn on Christmas Eve in 1966 and when Richard was drafted into the Army they married in 1967, a few weeks before Richard was deployed to Vietnam. In Vietnam Richard served with the 610th Engineering Support Company. He generally kept out of trouble, but perhaps not out of mischief. With his duties honorably discharged, Richard returned home and resumed his life. Before long he and his young wife were blessed with two sons, Andy and Jonathan. As a proud father he emphasized the value of education to his sons, encouraging their endeavors in school, reading with them and helping them with homework. With great foresight he introduced his young sons to personal computers in the early 80s, forming valuable impressions that directly impacted their future careers. Starting as a forklift driver at Bepco Incorporated, Richard's ingenuity and irrepressible determination became a great asset to the company. He eventually became VP of Operations, helping Bepco become a Fortune 500 company in 1982. Yearning to spend more time outdoors and to be his own boss, Richard started a small lawn care company where he could work hard and relieve the stress built up from years of office work. In 2009 Richard rolled the dusty old A-Model out of the basement and began to rebuild it. Doing almost all the work himself he created his masterpiece, a beautifully designed street rod delighting young and old when he drove it around town, again with Lynn by his side. When his beloved Lynn was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in 2012, he learned everything he could about the disease and cheered Lynn with his humor and antics, even at the doctor's office. When Lynn came down with pneumonia in December, he spent long fitful nights with her at the hospital, more devoted than ever. With quiet bravery he stood by her side until the very end, holding her hand, talking to her and keeping her company. After the worst happened, he kept busy, working hard in the yard, maintaining the house, enjoying time outside, and visiting his sons' families. Traveling to Minneapolis In June to visit his son and his worsening health continued to decline. Tended by the patient and compassionate staff at Fairview Southdale Hospital, he tried to recover, but suffered a fourth stroke and his lungs continued to decline. After two weeks of fighting a growing list of serious health issues, he passed away and was reunited with his wife and parents. As a son, Richard showed loving care to his mother. As a husband, Richard showed lifelong love and devotion to his wife. As a father, Richard taught his sons well with pride and love. Preceded in death by his parents and his dearest Lynn, Richard is survived by his sister, Barbara Davis, his two sons, Andy (Lauren) Foltz and Jon (Liz) Foltz, and by Kiwi, a cat with whom he had several disagreements. A service celebrating his life will be held at Friedberg Moravian Church at 11:00 am Wednesday July 13th. Visitation time will be held at 10:00 am in the church parlor. Burial will follow in the church graveyard.

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