Official Obituary of
Thelma R. Foss
July 20, 1921 ~ August 24, 2012 (age 91) 91 Years Old
Thelma Foss Obituary
Thelma R. Foss 91, of Salem passed away on Friday, August 24, 2012, at the Pleasant Manor Care Center in Mt. Pleasant.
Thelma Roene Foss was born on July 20, 1921 in Stillwell, Illinois, the daughter of Walter T. "Tom" & Ethel Caroline Wiedmeyer Ensminger. She moved with her parents and siblings from West Point, Illinois to Salem when she was about 2 years old. She attended Salem Grade School and graduated from Salem High School in 1939. In 1941 she was married to Joe N. Blair, they later divorced, On May 28, 1960 she was married to Arlo R. Foss, he preceded her in death on May 29, 1985.
Thelma was employed with Service Oil Works in Salem, the Sheaffer Pen Factory in Ft. Madison during WWII testing radio heads for P.T. Boats. In 1958, she began working for Continental Telephone Company at New London, later in Mt. Pleasant and Donnellson, retiring in1979. After her retirement, she and her husband spent their winters in Mesa, Arizona until 1985. They took many sight-seeing trips in the states. Thelma enjoyed the trips overseas to Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Holland, along with her travels to Hawaii, Alaska, and Nova Scioto, Rocky Mountains, Mexico and many others. She spent many hours on her hobbies of Genealogy, her family albums, albums about Salem and her albums of obituaries of family and friends
Thelma is survived by her sister Esther (Emmett) Agee of Ottumwa, nieces and nephews; Sandra Mellott, her caregiver of Salem, Karmen Berlin of Circleville, Ohio, Shirley Simkin of Tuscan, AZ., Jim Harshbarger of Camdenton, Missouri, John (Rita) Harshbarger of Hannibal, Missouri, Walt (Deborah) Ensminger of Randolph, New Jersey, Tom (Sarah) Foss of Snellville, GA, Judy (Mark) Zickefoose of Camdenton, Mo, and Ed (Gail) Soenke of Abiquiu, New Mexico and her sister-in-law Mabel Foss of Camdenton, Missouri.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her 2 yr. old son Gary Kent Blair, both husbands, an infant sister, her sister Almeta Simkin, two brothers; Otto & Otis Ensminger, two nieces; Diana Ensminger and Martha Harshbarger, three nephews; paul Mellott, Ron Berlin, Wm F. Simkin, sister-in-laws; Wanda Ensminger, Vera Bradshaw Fisher and Elbertine Goemke, brother-in-laws; W.W. Simkin, John "Joker" Harshbarger and Darrell W. Foss.
According to her wishes her body has been cremated and no services are planned. She will be buried along the side of her husband Arlo in Salem South Cemetery. Memorials may be directed to the Salem Luelling Museum in her memory.
Thelma Roene Foss was born on July 20, 1921 in Stillwell, Illinois, the daughter of Walter T. "Tom" & Ethel Caroline Wiedmeyer Ensminger. She moved with her parents and siblings from West Point, Illinois to Salem when she was about 2 years old. She attended Salem Grade School and graduated from Salem High School in 1939. In 1941 she was married to Joe N. Blair, they later divorced, On May 28, 1960 she was married to Arlo R. Foss, he preceded her in death on May 29, 1985.
Thelma was employed with Service Oil Works in Salem, the Sheaffer Pen Factory in Ft. Madison during WWII testing radio heads for P.T. Boats. In 1958, she began working for Continental Telephone Company at New London, later in Mt. Pleasant and Donnellson, retiring in1979. After her retirement, she and her husband spent their winters in Mesa, Arizona until 1985. They took many sight-seeing trips in the states. Thelma enjoyed the trips overseas to Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Holland, along with her travels to Hawaii, Alaska, and Nova Scioto, Rocky Mountains, Mexico and many others. She spent many hours on her hobbies of Genealogy, her family albums, albums about Salem and her albums of obituaries of family and friends
Thelma is survived by her sister Esther (Emmett) Agee of Ottumwa, nieces and nephews; Sandra Mellott, her caregiver of Salem, Karmen Berlin of Circleville, Ohio, Shirley Simkin of Tuscan, AZ., Jim Harshbarger of Camdenton, Missouri, John (Rita) Harshbarger of Hannibal, Missouri, Walt (Deborah) Ensminger of Randolph, New Jersey, Tom (Sarah) Foss of Snellville, GA, Judy (Mark) Zickefoose of Camdenton, Mo, and Ed (Gail) Soenke of Abiquiu, New Mexico and her sister-in-law Mabel Foss of Camdenton, Missouri.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her 2 yr. old son Gary Kent Blair, both husbands, an infant sister, her sister Almeta Simkin, two brothers; Otto & Otis Ensminger, two nieces; Diana Ensminger and Martha Harshbarger, three nephews; paul Mellott, Ron Berlin, Wm F. Simkin, sister-in-laws; Wanda Ensminger, Vera Bradshaw Fisher and Elbertine Goemke, brother-in-laws; W.W. Simkin, John "Joker" Harshbarger and Darrell W. Foss.
According to her wishes her body has been cremated and no services are planned. She will be buried along the side of her husband Arlo in Salem South Cemetery. Memorials may be directed to the Salem Luelling Museum in her memory.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Thelma R. Foss, please visit our floral store.
Services
You can still show your support by sending flowers directly to the family, or by planting a memorial tree in the memory of Thelma R. Foss
© 2026 Murphy Funeral Home and Monuments. All Rights Reserved. Funeral Home website by CFS & TA | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Accessibility