Obituary for Gary Vern Foust

A celebration of life including military rights for Gary Vern Foust, who passed away May 9 in Chariton, will be held Sunday, June 9, from 1:00-4:00 p.m. at the Indianola American Legion.

Gary was born April 5, 1944, in Indianola, Iowa, to Vern and Helen (Utsler) Foust. He spent his childhood on the family farm where he attended Hoosier Row School, a one-room schoolhouse, with his sisters. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, and camping with his dad, uncles, and cousins.

The family eventually moved to town and Gary attended Indianola High School. He left school early to enlist in the U.S. Navy at age 17, where he earned his G.E.D.

Always a good shot, Gary became a gunner on the USS Bainbridge, the Navy's first nuclear-powered guided missile destroyer. He was part of Operation Sea Orbit, where the Bainbridge, USS Enterprise, and USS Long Beach completed the first all-nuclear-powered world cruise. In addition to patrolling the South China Sea, Gary circumnavigated the globe twice aboard the Bainbridge, which gives him the Naval designation of Golden Shellback. Favorite ports of call included Rio de Janiero, Barcelona, the Mediterranean coast of France, Australia, and New Zealand.

While home on leave, he met LaVerta Tilton, and married her shortly after his Naval service was complete in 1965. He used the G.I. bill to attend community college and learn auto body repair, working for Mike's Body Shop in Indianola.

Gary and LaVerta welcomed daughter Lisa in 1972. In 1975, the Foust family moved to Shadehill, South Dakota, population 8, where they owned and operated Summerville Store for seven years. On top of daily duties at the store, Gary seined minnows, ran the post office, and hosted pool tournaments and other events. He enjoyed the excellent fishing, hunting, and trapping the area offered. The community became such an important part of their lives that the Fousts continued to visit in the decades that followed. Gary and Lisa visited just last October.

After moving back to Indianola, Gary worked for Lawyer's Body Shop until he opened Foust Body Shop a few years later. He built a very successful business repairing and restoring vehicles and earned a reputation of being fair and doing immaculate work. One of his favorite jobs was the 1965 Mustang he restored and gave to Lisa on her 16th birthday.

Gary was a fun and involved father, always making sure Lisa had everything she needed and wanted, while imparting strong family values and many life lessons. Their house was full of laughter. The Fousts shared many fun vacations together, including trips to South Dakota, Minnesota, Colorado, Yellowstone, and Las Vegas. Gary and LaVerta also enjoyed visiting Oregon.

When Lisa and husband Jayson Prater welcomed sons Jake, Luke, and Will, Gary fell head-over-heels. He and LaVerta hosted the boys for countless sleepovers and took immense pride in everything they did. The Fousts rarely missed a grandson's sporting event, play, concert, or Scouting activity.

Gary enjoyed collecting antique toy trucks, winning big at the casino, feeding the birds and squirrels, and watching reality television. He was the fun uncle, and the one his nephews and nieces went to when they had a problem. He talked to both of his sisters on the phone nearly every day.

Gary and LaVerta moved to Chariton in 2020. After LaVerta's passing in December 2022, Gary powered on, but his life was never the same without his soulmate. While holding his daughter's hand, he passed from this life to the next and into the waiting arms of his wife on May 9, just a week after receiving a diagnosis of cancer.

Gary was preceded in death by his wife LaVerta; parents Vern and Helen; brother Jerry; and siblings-in-law Cleo Penfield, Mary Tilton, Keith and Eleanor Tilton, and Rita and Harold Brown. He will be deeply missed by daughter Lisa and son-in-law Jayson Prater of rural Milo; beloved grandsons Jakob, Lucas, and William Prater of Milo; sisters Marilyn (Joel) Kuhn of West Des Moines and Carolyn Penfield of Lemmon, South Dakota; brother-in-law Ned Tilton of Des Moines; numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins; and countless friends.