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On Wednesday, December 3, 2025, Sondra Virginia Foster passed away peacefully, at the age of 86, at Brookestone View in Broken Bow, Nebraska.

A combined Memorial Service for Sondra and her husband Robert, who passed away in 2021, will be held on Friday, December 12th, at 10:30 a.m., at the United Methodist Church in Broken Bow, Nebraska with Pastor Phil Sloat officiating. Govier Brothers Mortuary of Broken Bow is in charge of the arrangements. The family would like to suggest donations be made to the Melham Medical Center Foundation.

Sondra was born December 26, 1938, to Claude and Ada (Marples) Johnson in Cambridge, NE. She graduated from Cambridge High School in 1956. After attending Wesleyan University and Lincoln School of Business, she was area clerk for the USDA-Soil Conservation Service in Broken Bow for two years. While there, she met Robert (Bob) D. Foster.

Sondra and Bob were married on March 27, 1960, at the Methodist Church in Cambridge, NE. Two children were born to this union, Kirk Robert and Kristi Lynn. Sondra and Bob were married 61 years. Sondra and Bob lived in Ord, Bridgeport, then Grand Island, before moving back to Broken Bow in 1998. While living at Bridgeport, Sondra was the public librarian for nine years. In Grand Island, she worked at Waldenbooks in the Conestoga Mall for 16 years and was store manager for 13 of those years. She was a member of the Broken Bow United Methodist Church, Outreachers Circle until it disbanded in 2018, UMW many years, and P.E.O. Chapter S.

Sondra's hobbies included journaling in her diaries, reading all kinds of books, watching Jeopardy, and making broomstick afghans. She collected well over 1,000 cookbooks and a wide variety of hedgehog figurines. Sondra was quite a baker and was known for her cinnamon twists, butterhorn rolls and chocolate sheet cake. Genealogy was important to Sondra, and she kept the family tree up-to-date for the Claude Johnson branch of which there are 260 plus. She and Bob had a large garden while living in Bridgeport, Grand Island, and for about ten years in Broken Bow. The family enjoyed camping even though Sondra’s first camping trip was a literal washout.

Sondra was first diagnosed with cancer in 2012. She had health issues due to the side effects of the cancer treatments for the rest of her life. After Bob passed away on April 11, 2021, Sondra lived in her home before moving to Off Broadway Apartments February 19, 2023, then to Brookestone View June 1, 2025.

She is survived by son & daughter-in-law, Kirk & Denise Foster of Berwyn, NE; daughter & son-in-law, Kristi & Tom Schleif, Osceola, NE; six granddaughters and one grandson, Jamelyn (Jared) Denny, Kelsey (Justin) McCullough, Audrey Foster, Lexie Foster, Kaitlyn (Evan) Buss, Laurin Schleif, Christian Schleif (Allison Singh); three great granddaughters, Ellianna Buss, Erin McCullough, and Aspen Denny; four great grandsons, Wesley and William McCullough, Tholen and Waylon Buss, and a great grandchild on the way; two brothers, Phillip (Barbara) Johnson and Bruce Johnson; two sisters, Sharon Bellamy and Judy Zabel; sister-in-law, Pat Johnson; and many other relatives & friends.

Sondra was preceded in death by her husband; her parents; in-laws Doane and Lavina Foster; two sisters, Donna Miller and Norma Smith; two brothers, Paul Johnson and Carl Johnson; four brothers-in-law, Bob Smith, Bob Miller, Gailord Bellamy, and Paul Zabel; and two sisters-in-law, Dorothy Foster Gordon and Jackie Johnson.

The family is grateful for the compassion, love, and care given to Sondra by Brookestone View team members and residents, as well as AseraCare Hospice in the final weeks of her life.

The family would like to suggest donations be made to the Melham Medical Center Foundation