Ora Foster

Mrs. Ora Horn Foster was born on January 28th to the late Herman Horn and Rosie Larkin Horn in Bessemer, Alabama. Ora was the fourth of seven children. She accepted Christ in her life at an early age and was baptized at the 28th Street Church of God in Bessemer, Alabama. She served on the Usher Board as Vice President and Board Counselor. She also served as the Church Historian. She was also a faithful supporter of all programs within the church. Ora was united in Holy Matrimony to the late Bennie T. Foster. She attended and graduated from Dunbar High School. She earned a Home Economics/ Elementary Education Degree from Alabama A&M University. After teaching several years, she returned to A&M where she received her Masters Degree in Guidance and Counseling. She also was a licensed Psychometrist where she tested numerous students in the Bessemer School System for Special Education support. She was a member of numerous Professional Organizations including: The Alabama Educational Association, The National Education Association, The Alabama Retired Teachers' Association, The State and National Guidance Counseling Association, The National Classroom Teacher's Association, and The National Association for Principals and Supervisors. She retired in 1994 after forty-nine years of service in the Bessemer City School System. Upon retirement, she continued to have an active role in the community where she served on numerous boards, such as the Bessemer Area Chamber of Commerce, The American Red Cross, and The Humanistic Challengers Club. She has received many prestigious awards, such as Charles A. Long Community Civic Award, The Chamber of Commerce Ambassador of the Year Award and The City of Bessemer Mayor's Woman of the Year Award. She leaves to cherish and celebrate her life: one loving brother, Nathaniel Horn (Rose) of Chicago, Illinois; two loving and devoted daughters; Mary Boyer (Carl) of Detroit, Michigan, and Willie Lee Cox (Bill) of Clifton, Virginia; niece Vanessa Bates Sylvester (Fred) of Birmingham/ New Orleans; a special son, Ricky Rayford of Bessemer; a host of grands, great grands, nieces, nephews, cousins and many beloved relatives and friends; a very special devoted daughter LaTasha Cook of Bessemer; and a special cousin Shirley Horn of Bessemer.