Advertisement

Apryl Foster remembered at memorial service as energetic, loving

 
Peggy and Craig Beman release a dove in memory of their daughter, Apryl Foste during a Saturday’s service near the river.
Peggy and Craig Beman release a dove in memory of their daughter, Apryl Foste during a Saturday’s service near the river.
Published March 1, 2015

TAMPA

Before she died, Apryl Foster told her boss she believed in signs from above. They talked about the meaning of the river that flows by Ulele, the restaurant where she worked, and how water represents life to her.

So as rain drops fell along the banks of the Hillsborough River, where family and friends gathered at Ulele to celebrate Foster's life, her boss chose to see the gentle shower as her sign.

"Right now she's sharing that message," said Ulele owner Richard Gonzmart to the huddled crowd, "she's trying to let us know that she's fine, and that she's loved."

Foster vanished on Feb. 12 after a night out in Ybor City. She was found 10 days later inside her submerged car at the bottom of Mango Lake, not far from her Brandon home. She was 33.

During the memorial service on the green behind Ulele, her parents, Craig and Peggy Beman of Stephenville, Texas, thanked the law enforcement officials who they said worked tirelessly to find their daughter. Several officers with the Tampa Police Department sat in the crowd, including police Chief Jane Castor.

Foster grew up in Gretna, Neb. (Population: about 5,000.) Throughout high school, she sang in vocal competitions and won many awards.

She attended the University of Wyoming before moving to Florida, where she worked as a professional vocalist and entertainment director for 10 years at the Lani Kai Island Resort in Fort Myers. The job fit her fun and energetic personality, her family said.

She married her former husband Shawn Foster in 2010 in a Star Wars-themed wedding. She made her own dress, just one example of her crafty and artistic sensibilities. When her best friend, Rachel Swafford, was helping the family clean out Foster's home in Brandon, they found 15 boxes of costumes and five feather boas.

On Saturday, Swafford wore a white one around her neck.

"It's the first time I've ever worn a boa to a funeral, and we passed out beads," Swafford said, gesturing toward a table heaping with colorful strands. "But this is Tampa, and it's what Apryl would have wanted."

Foster moved to Tampa about two years ago. She was a server and a trainer at Ulele, and a mom to the younger servers there.

Foster also enjoyed singing karaoke in Ybor City. One of her goals, said Ulele general manager Keith Sedita, was to sing during open mic night in the restaurant's beer garden.

During the ceremony, they played a home video of Foster belting out the gospel hymn His Eye is on the Sparrow.

"Today she (sang) in front of all of us," Sedita said.

A table full of sunflowers held several photos of Foster, her beaming smile facing the people who'd gathered to say goodbye. Mourners said that was what they'd miss most about her.

Before the celebration ended, before Foster's parents released doves in her memory and mourners took home playful trinkets to remember her by, her father joked that the rain, falling fast, was his upbeat daughter's way of keeping the mourning to a minimum.

Keep up with Tampa Bay’s top headlines

Keep up with Tampa Bay’s top headlines

Subscribe to our free DayStarter newsletter

We’ll deliver the latest news and information you need to know every morning.

You’re all signed up!

Want more of our free, weekly newsletters in your inbox? Let’s get started.

Explore all your options

"Apryl, this is truly my bottom line," Craig Bemen said. He laughed, then asked everyone to bow their heads.

"Would you pray with me?"

Contact Katie Mettler at kmettler@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3446. Follow @kemettler.