March 28, 2024

Alice Arlene Foreman

Aug. 29, 2021

Alice Arlene Foreman, 83, died Sunday, Aug. 29, 2021, at her care facility in Barberton, Ohio. She was born April 10, 1938, at home on the family farm just two miles south of Prairie City to William John and Anna Florence Thompson. She arrived early, weighing in at under 4 pounds and making her first crib from an empty shoebox perched on an open oven door. She did thrive in the country air, graduating from Prairie City High School in the spring of 1956 and attending nurses training in Des Moines. She traded her student nurse uniform for an offer of marriage to a local farm lad, Jim E. Foreman. They married at the farmhouse, in the corner of the living room. They took up farming near her parents, and later, in 1968, Alice moved back to the farmhouse where she was born, married and she raised three children. Joyce Ann was born October 1958, Jill Allison arrived September 1960 and Jeffrey William appeared in  March 1962.

The farm home was a source of service to her family and community. She took great care in keeping it up and it provided a backdrop for many family events. She loved roses and planted them among the old-fashioned wagon wheels scattered around the property.

She enjoyed a little light-weight crafting and kept her hands busy with; sewing projects, crochet work (afghans and dish-towels), she painted old saw blades with farm scenes and nature themes, always using the tiniest brushes to create the intricate details. She was an accomplished pie baker, and later, when Jim retired, she taught him how to make the crust. They turned the farmhouse into a bed and breakfast for several years, which allowed her to share the house, show off Jim’s cooking skills and play hostess to guests in the countryside. She respected the heritage of her home and you could tell it when you met her for coffee or if you sat and visited out in the front yard under the big shady trees. 

She was also happy when she could accompany Jim on a trip away — whether for the day or the weekend, she simply loved traveling with him. She loved her life in the country.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Bill and Florence Thompson; two infant siblings, Mildred Ann and Robert John; and her beloved husband, Jim. She has nine grandchildren, Joyce (Britt) Benson, Dennis Hansen (Bridie) Madie Stutsman, Grayson Hanson, Daniel Hansen (Monica Mendenhall. Devin Hansen (Brooke), Quince, Bailey, Halle, Jill Foreman, Travis Gabeler (Caitlin), Jeff Foreman (Lisa), Wendy Foreman (Daniel) Otis, Mabel, Emily Doehr, Chad Erlemeier, Sara (Cameron Miller) and Sam Foreman.

A memorial service will begin at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 13 at the United Methodist Church of Prairie City. Burial will follow immediately at Waveland Cemetery. Family will greet friends prior to the service at the church from 9 to 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Prairie City Public Library and the Prairie City Ambulance Association.