Archive | 2018

Vara Lee “Sam” LaFoy died November 13, 2018, after a brief battle with melanoma.  Sam was born in Fort Rucker, Alabama on August 20, 1943 to Jack and Vara C. LaFoy.  She started school in Paris, France where she gained fluency in the French language.  She attended the University of Madrid for her first year of college and then graduated with honors two years later from Wichita State.

After college, she moved to Washington, D.C., where she joined the Office of Public Safety in USAID’s predecessor agency.  From there, she moved to the Foreign Service, working as a secretary with USAID/Vietnam.  After Vietnam, she transitioned into the Career Foreign Service. serving as a Food for Peace Officer with USAID in Senegal, Haiti, Paraguay as well as many other African countries, particularly, while she was assigned to the Regional West Africa Office in the Ivory Coast.

After retirement she settled into what she considered “a perfect life in Fayetteville, Arkansas.”  She studied classical guitar, as well as Ancient Greek language, Greek literature and many eclectic classes at the University of Arkansas.  While she was studying at the University, she also provided accommodations to exchange students.  Always believing that education never ends, she was a stalwart member of her book club.  A truly wonderful human being, she will be dearly missed by family and friends.

Former USAID Health Officer Alan Foose passed away on December 23, 2018, in Mbabane, Swaziland. Alan and his wife Jan Rockcliffe-King have lived there for the past nine years, having previously lived after Alan’s retirement in South Africa near Kruger Park.

Alan first worked outside of the US when he joined the Private Health Association of Lesotho, a small NGO comprised of previously independent rural clinics, where he was the Director for almost five years. He then joined USAID as a health officer, with his first posting in Liberia, followed by assignments in Swaziland, Bangladesh and South Africa. After retirement from USAID, Alan frequently worked as a consultant to USAID/Mozambique and USAID/South Africa. Over the years, his areas of focus included maternal and child health, population/family planning, and HIV/AIDS prevention.

Wherever Alan lived, he embraced the local people and surroundings, including owning a share of a traditional boat and traveling the rivers and bays of Bangladesh, finding remote beaches in Liberia, and bird watching, hiking and visiting game reserves in southern Africa. He truly enjoyed the adventures that came from living overseas.

Alan is survived by his wife, Jan, and by his children Andrew (Andy) Foose, now living in Mbabane; David Foose, living in Arlington VA; Allison Myeza, living in South Africa; nine grandchildren and one great grandchild. Alan will be remembered above all as a kind, caring, and quietly witty  person who was always willing to help those in need.

A U.S.memorial service is planned for late April/early May

Blaine C. Richardson died November 17, 2018 at the age of 83.  He was a retiree  of Agency for International Development.  He continued to work after his retirement until the time of his death for FEMA and Adjusters International.