Ridley G. Foster, age 82, of Columbus, Georgia, passed away on Thursday, July 6, 2023.  He was born on March 2, 1941, in Carrollton, Georgia, the son of the late George Hiram Foster and the late Samantha Thompson Foster.

Ridley graduated from Mt. Zion High School and went on to serve his country in the United States Marine Corps. Later he retired from Coca-Cola with over 50 years of service as a production manager. Ridley was a member of Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Trenton, Georgia. He was a loving husband, a devoted father, and an exceptional grandfather. His number one joy in life was spending time with his family, but his hobbies included woodworking, fishing, and camping. He will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him.  

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his sisters, Carolyn Ann Denney and Betsy Jane McLeroy; and brothers, Larry George Foster and Michael Wayne Foster.

He leaves behind to cherish his memory his loving wife, Beatrice Merrell Foster; daughters & sons-in-law, Suzanne & Nickey Ellison, Kelley Foster, and Janet & Jason Cooper; grandchildren, Nicholas Ellison, Jonathan Ellison, and Aleah Ellison; great-grandchildren, Blake Ellison and Emma Ellison; sister, Joyce Holcombe; and a number of nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be conducted Monday, July 10, 2023, at 2:00 PM from the Chapel of Martin & Hightower Funeral Home, with Rev. Phillip Trask and Elder Roger Merrell officiating. Interment will follow in Whooping Creek Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery with the American Legion Post #143 rendering military honors.

The family will receive friends at the Martin & Hightower Funeral Home on Sunday, July 9, 2023, from 2:00 PM until 5:00 PM.

Messages of condolences can be sent to the family at www.martin-hightower.com.  Martin and Hightower Heritage Chapel has charge of the arrangements.