Joseph "Joey" Charles Foust, Jr.

"For this one farmer, the worries are over. Put the tractor in the shed, Dad, your work here on earth is done."

Joseph "Joey" Charles Foust, Jr, aged 93, a well-known resident of Granville Summit, PA, passed away peacefully on January 17, 2025 to join the love of his life, Ellen.

Joey was born on August 9, 1931, in Granville Summit, PA, to Joseph Charles and Maude Shoemaker Foust. He graduated from Troy Area High School, Class of 1949, and continued to work on the family's dairy farm in "Cowley," eventually buying the farm, along with two adjoining farms, totaling 400+ acres to complete High Bridge Farm. On June 21, 1959, he married Ellen Judson, whom he had met at the Mountain Lake dance pavilion. They had 65 wonderful years together. Besides his parents, Joey was predeceased by his brother Teddy Foust and sisters Blanche Mott, Norma Shedden, Betty Slingerland, and Marie Seeley.

In addition to High Bridge Farm, Joey and Ellen owned and operated Foust Busing and Foust Trucking for over 30 years. In 1989, they bought a 90-year-old Soo Line train caboose that now sits on their property next to the train station where Joey's father had been employed. Ellen restored and remodeled the caboose and collected memorabilia that is displayed throughout its interior. For years, visitors have come from all around to see this interesting piece of railroad history.

Joey was a hard worker and loved everything about living on his farm. Throughout his entire life, he could be found operating his CAT loader, dump truck or one of his tractors. He was quite adept at leveling a roadway, clearing snow drifts from a neighbor's driveway, or pushing brush into the hedgerow. (He was known to have taken down a few power, phone & cable lines too.) On top of full-time farming, Joey also hauled other farmers' milk to the milk plant, plowed snow for PennDOT, and hauled many loads of gravel for local people and businesses.

Joey had a great sense of humor and was quite the character, and was known for playing practical jokes on friends and family as well as unsuspecting others. He once put an ad in the paper for a "gently used" cemetery plot and loved answering the phone inquiries about the ad. On another occasion, he erected a large professionally-made sign saying "Adult Book Store Coming Soon" in the field (known as "the flat") across from his sister Betty's house. Betty didn't appreciate his April Fools' humor (nor did the community!). Or, if that old bus sitting over on "the flat" didn't sell in a few days, he would increase the price (and the calls started coming in!). Joey grew up loving horses, motorcycles, and fast cars. In his younger days, he and some buddies drove an antique 'bucking car' in the NYC Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade for several years that could buck like a horse. On one occasion, Joey wasn't hanging on when the car "bucked." He was thrown out of the car and landed in the street, breaking both knee caps. When not suffering from (self-inflicted) injuries or broken bones, Joey enjoyed snowmobiling, deer hunting, and if there was a Euchre or 500 card game to be had, he was at the table, most of the time winning! He was very active in the Troy Lions Club for many years and the Windfall Grange (60+ years).

His most recent prized possession was a 1949 Chevy Coupe Convertible that was exactly like the one he owned when he was younger. He and Ellen would drive it in parades, to their cottage at Lake Ondawa, or to an ice cream outing.

Joey leaves behind his five children, Libby (Dorothy) Foust of Trumansburg, NY; Kathy (Jere) Warner of State College, PA; Barry (Karen) Foust of Gettysburg, PA; Julie (Don) Volpe of St. Petersburg, FL; Jennifer (Thaddeus) Schwartz of College Grove, TN; nine grandchildren: Natalie (Koy) Shaffer, of Ft. Worth, TX; Karly (Dominick) Scala, of Bellefonte, PA; Michael (Willa) Volpe of Savannah, GA; Cole Volpe of Jacksonville Beach, FL; Judson (Brianna) Warner of Quakertown, PA; German Schwartz of Enid, OK; Major Schwartz of Chattanooga, TN; and Kuyler and Ayala Coffin of Trumansburg, NY; and great-grandchildren, Deegan Scala of Mill Hall, PA, Eleanor Shaffer of Ft. Worth, TX and Madison Volpe of Savannah, GA; and special nephew Kim Seeley and buddy Dave Wright. Everyone loved Joey and he will be greatly missed by his family & friends, especially at the bowling alley where he rarely missed the morning camaraderie with his 5:00 am coffee buddies. We love you and will miss you very much, Joe, Joey, Dad, Pops and Piccolo Pete.

The family would like to express our deepest gratitude to his loving caregivers and to Guthrie Hospice for their compassionate care and support during Joey's final days, which allowed for a peaceful passing with dignity.

The service and burial will be private. Pepper Funeral Home and Cremation Facility, 578 Springbrook Drive, Canton PA is assisting the family. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Joey's name can be made to the Windfall Cemetery Fund, c/o Kathie Fleming, 511 Fleming Road, Granville Summit, PA 16926. Memories of Joey and condolences to his family may be shared by visiting www.pepperfuneralhomes.com.