Lonnie Thomas Foster, 61, of Forks, WA, born April 10, 1956, passed away at his home on November 10, 2017, after a brief yet aggressive battle with cancer.

Lonnie had recently married his longtime love and business partner, Karen, on October 29, 2017, after a 35-year courtship and three (adult) children.

Known for being a hard worker, Lonnie, who was nicknamed Lonzo, was both a logger and a fisherman. After working in the woods for years, he switched careers to the ocean to become a deckhand in La Push. He eventually purchased the 37’ F/V Vega, making him a captain and business owner. He earned his Captain’s License after a rigorous course, and later he upgraded his vessel when he bought the 68’ F/V CF TODD.

He served on the Quileute Natural Resources Committee, also known as the “Fish Committee,” from the 1990s through present day, helping to make policy decisions and preserve treaty rights. For one term, Lonnie also held a seat on the Quileute Tribal Council from 2010-2013.

People cannot talk about Lonnie without mentioning his generous and kind spirit and how he always wore a smile. He shared freshly-caught seafood with countless family members, friends, and even strangers; he donated fish and crab to numerous events and local auctions and was always willing to help others, even the four-legged kind. Lonnie was a friend to the reservation dogs of La Push. They would come running whenever they heard his truck driving through the village or his boat returning from a trip, because they knew he always had a can of dog food on hand.

He was a Seahawks fan for life.

He was a fisherman who did not like to eat fish, unless it was sushi.

He had an energy that nobody could ignore.

And above all, family meant everything to him.

Lonnie is survived by his wife Karen Foster; sons Josh (Lindsey) Sims and Rio Foster; daughter Emily Foster; brothers Tony (Narcissus) Foster, Ed Foster, Charlie (Bonnie) Sampson; sisters Rae Lynn Martinez and Ardis Minter; Father Vern (Alice Mae) Foster; many loving nephews, nieces, grandchildren and extended family; and pets Maddie, Fallon, and Quinn.

He is preceded in death by his mother Marvella Sampson; stepfather Wilbur Sampson; sister Ardis Foster; and cats Snuggles, Garfield, Bunny, and Bug.

Services were held at the Akalat Center in La Push, with a candlelight service on November 20 at 7 p.m. and a funeral service on November 21 at 11 a.m.

The ocean will be lonelier without him. So long, Captain.