Barbara Jean Thompson Eisenhower Foltz died peacefully at her home in Waverly Heights on Sept. 19. She was born in 1926 into an Army family. Her father, Colonel Percy W. Thompson, served in World War 1, World War II (at which time he was awarded the Silver Star for bravery) and in the Korean conflict. At the end of the war in Europe, Colonel Thompson was assigned to the American Zone of occupied Austria. It was there that Barbara met Lieutenant John S. D. Eisenhower, the youngest son of Supreme Commander Allied Expeditionary Forces, Dwight D. Eisenhower. John and Barbara got married June 10, 1947 at Fort Monroe, Elizabeth County, Virginia, United States and were parents to David, Anne, Susan and Mary Jean.
During the Eisenhower presidency, Barbara served with grace and effectiveness as her father-in-law's representative when called upon often, most memorably when she accompanied the President in 1959 on his historic eleven-nation goodwill tour. Yet despite her official duties, she always found time for her volunteer work as a nurses' aide for the Junior League. During the Nixon administration, Barbara was a vital partner to John Eisenhower during his service as U.S. Ambassador to Belgium.
In 1979, Barbara earned her BA from Rosemont College and soon afterwards joined the college's development team. In 1988, another happy chapter in her life began when she married widower Edwin J. Foltz, a former Vice President at the Campbell Soup corporation. After Ed's death in 2009, Barbara devoted herself to her eight grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren. Her gentle and optimistic spirit will be sorely missed.
Her funeral service will be private. Chadwick & McKinney Funeral Home Inc. www.chadwickmckinney.com
This is from Bonnie L. Cook, Inquirer Staff Writer,
Barbara Thompson Eisenhower Foltz, 88, former wife of the military historian John S.D. Eisenhower and daughter-in-law of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, died Friday, Sept. 19, at Waverly Heights in Gladwyne.
The cause of death was not immediately available.
Mrs. Foltz was born in Fort Knox, Ky., into an Army family. Her father, Col. Percy W. Thompson, was stationed in the American Zone of occupied Austria after World War II. It was there that she met John Eisenhower, whose father was commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces.
The two married in 1947 and had four children.
During the Eisenhower administration, Mrs. Foltz served "with grace and effectiveness" as her father-in-law's representative when called upon, according to a tribute by her family.
Her most high-profile role was as President Eisenhower's traveling companion in 1959 during his 11-nation goodwill tour, her family said.
Time magazine took note of her role in a December 1959 article: "In the pageant of President Eisenhower's official tour, one American woman had a spotlight all to herself. The only trouble was that Barbara Thompson Eisenhower, 33, is the kind of woman who would much prefer to avoid the spotlight.
"But as wife of Maj. John Eisenhower, daughter-in-law of the president, and [in Mamie Eisenhower's absence] a kind of unofficial U.S. first lady on the trip, Barbara Eisenhower began to relax last week and have a happy time."
After the end of the Eisenhower administration, Mrs. Foltz ran her own household on the edge of President Eisenhower's farm in Gettysburg so her husband could assist the president in retirement. Her children rode their famous grandfather's horses.
In 1968, her son, Dwight David Eisenhower II, known as David, married Julie Nixon, daughter of President Richard M. Nixon.
During the Nixon administration, Mrs. Foltz was an important assistant to John Eisenhower when he was posted to Belgium as U.S. ambassador from 1969 to 1971.
She accompanied him to Taipei, Taiwan, when Eisenhower represented the United States at the inauguration of Chiang Kai-shek for his fifth term as president in May 1972.
In 1988 and 1990, Mrs. Foltz donated her papers, including correspondence with her in-laws, to the Dwight D. Eisenhower Library in Abilene, Kan.
Despite her official duties, Mrs. Foltz found time to volunteer as a nurse's aide for the Junior League of Philadelphia.
In 1979, Mrs. Foltz earned a bachelor's degree from Rosemont College and joined the college's development team. She and her husband were divorced in 1986. Both remarried. John Eisenhower died in 2013.
Mrs. Foltz's second marriage in 1988 was to Edwin J. Foltz, a former FBI agent who became a vice president at Campbell Soup Co. The Foltzes settled in Gladwyne for what would be a "happy chapter in her life," her family said. The couple moved to Waverly Heights in 1999.
After her husband's death in 2009, Mrs. Foltz devoted herself to her eight grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
"Her gentle and optimistic spirit will be sorely missed," her family said.
Surviving, in addition to her son, are daughters Barbara Anne, Susan Elaine, and Mary Jean.
Funeral services will be private.
During the Eisenhower presidency, Barbara served with grace and effectiveness as her father-in-law's representative when called upon often, most memorably when she accompanied the President in 1959 on his historic eleven-nation goodwill tour. Yet despite her official duties, she always found time for her volunteer work as a nurses' aide for the Junior League. During the Nixon administration, Barbara was a vital partner to John Eisenhower during his service as U.S. Ambassador to Belgium.
In 1979, Barbara earned her BA from Rosemont College and soon afterwards joined the college's development team. In 1988, another happy chapter in her life began when she married widower Edwin J. Foltz, a former Vice President at the Campbell Soup corporation. After Ed's death in 2009, Barbara devoted herself to her eight grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren. Her gentle and optimistic spirit will be sorely missed.
Her funeral service will be private. Chadwick & McKinney Funeral Home Inc. www.chadwickmckinney.com
This is from Bonnie L. Cook, Inquirer Staff Writer,
Barbara Thompson Eisenhower Foltz, 88, former wife of the military historian John S.D. Eisenhower and daughter-in-law of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, died Friday, Sept. 19, at Waverly Heights in Gladwyne.
The cause of death was not immediately available.
Mrs. Foltz was born in Fort Knox, Ky., into an Army family. Her father, Col. Percy W. Thompson, was stationed in the American Zone of occupied Austria after World War II. It was there that she met John Eisenhower, whose father was commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces.
The two married in 1947 and had four children.
During the Eisenhower administration, Mrs. Foltz served "with grace and effectiveness" as her father-in-law's representative when called upon, according to a tribute by her family.
Her most high-profile role was as President Eisenhower's traveling companion in 1959 during his 11-nation goodwill tour, her family said.
Time magazine took note of her role in a December 1959 article: "In the pageant of President Eisenhower's official tour, one American woman had a spotlight all to herself. The only trouble was that Barbara Thompson Eisenhower, 33, is the kind of woman who would much prefer to avoid the spotlight.
"But as wife of Maj. John Eisenhower, daughter-in-law of the president, and [in Mamie Eisenhower's absence] a kind of unofficial U.S. first lady on the trip, Barbara Eisenhower began to relax last week and have a happy time."
After the end of the Eisenhower administration, Mrs. Foltz ran her own household on the edge of President Eisenhower's farm in Gettysburg so her husband could assist the president in retirement. Her children rode their famous grandfather's horses.
In 1968, her son, Dwight David Eisenhower II, known as David, married Julie Nixon, daughter of President Richard M. Nixon.
During the Nixon administration, Mrs. Foltz was an important assistant to John Eisenhower when he was posted to Belgium as U.S. ambassador from 1969 to 1971.
She accompanied him to Taipei, Taiwan, when Eisenhower represented the United States at the inauguration of Chiang Kai-shek for his fifth term as president in May 1972.
In 1988 and 1990, Mrs. Foltz donated her papers, including correspondence with her in-laws, to the Dwight D. Eisenhower Library in Abilene, Kan.
Despite her official duties, Mrs. Foltz found time to volunteer as a nurse's aide for the Junior League of Philadelphia.
In 1979, Mrs. Foltz earned a bachelor's degree from Rosemont College and joined the college's development team. She and her husband were divorced in 1986. Both remarried. John Eisenhower died in 2013.
Mrs. Foltz's second marriage in 1988 was to Edwin J. Foltz, a former FBI agent who became a vice president at Campbell Soup Co. The Foltzes settled in Gladwyne for what would be a "happy chapter in her life," her family said. The couple moved to Waverly Heights in 1999.
After her husband's death in 2009, Mrs. Foltz devoted herself to her eight grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
"Her gentle and optimistic spirit will be sorely missed," her family said.
Surviving, in addition to her son, are daughters Barbara Anne, Susan Elaine, and Mary Jean.
Funeral services will be private.
Barbara Jean Thompson Eisenhower Foltz died peacefully at her home in Waverly Heights on Sept. 19. She was born in 1926 into an Army family. Her father, Colonel Percy W. Thompson, served in World War 1, World War II (at which time he was awarded the Silver Star for bravery) and in the Korean conflict. At the end of the war in Europe, Colonel Thompson was assigned to the American Zone of occupied Austria. It was there that Barbara met Lieutenant John S. D. Eisenhower, the youngest son of Supreme Commander Allied Expeditionary Forces, Dwight D. Eisenhower. John and Barbara got married June 10, 1947 at Fort Monroe, Elizabeth County, Virginia, United States and were parents to David, Anne, Susan and Mary Jean.
During the Eisenhower presidency, Barbara served with grace and effectiveness as her father-in-law's representative when called upon often, most memorably when she accompanied the President in 1959 on his historic eleven-nation goodwill tour. Yet despite her official duties, she always found time for her volunteer work as a nurses' aide for the Junior League. During the Nixon administration, Barbara was a vital partner to John Eisenhower during his service as U.S. Ambassador to Belgium.
In 1979, Barbara earned her BA from Rosemont College and soon afterwards joined the college's development team. In 1988, another happy chapter in her life began when she married widower Edwin J. Foltz, a former Vice President at the Campbell Soup corporation. After Ed's death in 2009, Barbara devoted herself to her eight grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren. Her gentle and optimistic spirit will be sorely missed.
Her funeral service will be private. Chadwick & McKinney Funeral Home Inc. www.chadwickmckinney.com
This is from Bonnie L. Cook, Inquirer Staff Writer,
Barbara Thompson Eisenhower Foltz, 88, former wife of the military historian John S.D. Eisenhower and daughter-in-law of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, died Friday, Sept. 19, at Waverly Heights in Gladwyne.
The cause of death was not immediately available.
Mrs. Foltz was born in Fort Knox, Ky., into an Army family. Her father, Col. Percy W. Thompson, was stationed in the American Zone of occupied Austria after World War II. It was there that she met John Eisenhower, whose father was commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces.
The two married in 1947 and had four children.
During the Eisenhower administration, Mrs. Foltz served "with grace and effectiveness" as her father-in-law's representative when called upon, according to a tribute by her family.
Her most high-profile role was as President Eisenhower's traveling companion in 1959 during his 11-nation goodwill tour, her family said.
Time magazine took note of her role in a December 1959 article: "In the pageant of President Eisenhower's official tour, one American woman had a spotlight all to herself. The only trouble was that Barbara Thompson Eisenhower, 33, is the kind of woman who would much prefer to avoid the spotlight.
"But as wife of Maj. John Eisenhower, daughter-in-law of the president, and [in Mamie Eisenhower's absence] a kind of unofficial U.S. first lady on the trip, Barbara Eisenhower began to relax last week and have a happy time."
After the end of the Eisenhower administration, Mrs. Foltz ran her own household on the edge of President Eisenhower's farm in Gettysburg so her husband could assist the president in retirement. Her children rode their famous grandfather's horses.
In 1968, her son, Dwight David Eisenhower II, known as David, married Julie Nixon, daughter of President Richard M. Nixon.
During the Nixon administration, Mrs. Foltz was an important assistant to John Eisenhower when he was posted to Belgium as U.S. ambassador from 1969 to 1971.
She accompanied him to Taipei, Taiwan, when Eisenhower represented the United States at the inauguration of Chiang Kai-shek for his fifth term as president in May 1972.
In 1988 and 1990, Mrs. Foltz donated her papers, including correspondence with her in-laws, to the Dwight D. Eisenhower Library in Abilene, Kan.
Despite her official duties, Mrs. Foltz found time to volunteer as a nurse's aide for the Junior League of Philadelphia.
In 1979, Mrs. Foltz earned a bachelor's degree from Rosemont College and joined the college's development team. She and her husband were divorced in 1986. Both remarried. John Eisenhower died in 2013.
Mrs. Foltz's second marriage in 1988 was to Edwin J. Foltz, a former FBI agent who became a vice president at Campbell Soup Co. The Foltzes settled in Gladwyne for what would be a "happy chapter in her life," her family said. The couple moved to Waverly Heights in 1999.
After her husband's death in 2009, Mrs. Foltz devoted herself to her eight grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
"Her gentle and optimistic spirit will be sorely missed," her family said.
Surviving, in addition to her son, are daughters Barbara Anne, Susan Elaine, and Mary Jean.
Funeral services will be private.
During the Eisenhower presidency, Barbara served with grace and effectiveness as her father-in-law's representative when called upon often, most memorably when she accompanied the President in 1959 on his historic eleven-nation goodwill tour. Yet despite her official duties, she always found time for her volunteer work as a nurses' aide for the Junior League. During the Nixon administration, Barbara was a vital partner to John Eisenhower during his service as U.S. Ambassador to Belgium.
In 1979, Barbara earned her BA from Rosemont College and soon afterwards joined the college's development team. In 1988, another happy chapter in her life began when she married widower Edwin J. Foltz, a former Vice President at the Campbell Soup corporation. After Ed's death in 2009, Barbara devoted herself to her eight grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren. Her gentle and optimistic spirit will be sorely missed.
Her funeral service will be private. Chadwick & McKinney Funeral Home Inc. www.chadwickmckinney.com
This is from Bonnie L. Cook, Inquirer Staff Writer,
Barbara Thompson Eisenhower Foltz, 88, former wife of the military historian John S.D. Eisenhower and daughter-in-law of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, died Friday, Sept. 19, at Waverly Heights in Gladwyne.
The cause of death was not immediately available.
Mrs. Foltz was born in Fort Knox, Ky., into an Army family. Her father, Col. Percy W. Thompson, was stationed in the American Zone of occupied Austria after World War II. It was there that she met John Eisenhower, whose father was commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces.
The two married in 1947 and had four children.
During the Eisenhower administration, Mrs. Foltz served "with grace and effectiveness" as her father-in-law's representative when called upon, according to a tribute by her family.
Her most high-profile role was as President Eisenhower's traveling companion in 1959 during his 11-nation goodwill tour, her family said.
Time magazine took note of her role in a December 1959 article: "In the pageant of President Eisenhower's official tour, one American woman had a spotlight all to herself. The only trouble was that Barbara Thompson Eisenhower, 33, is the kind of woman who would much prefer to avoid the spotlight.
"But as wife of Maj. John Eisenhower, daughter-in-law of the president, and [in Mamie Eisenhower's absence] a kind of unofficial U.S. first lady on the trip, Barbara Eisenhower began to relax last week and have a happy time."
After the end of the Eisenhower administration, Mrs. Foltz ran her own household on the edge of President Eisenhower's farm in Gettysburg so her husband could assist the president in retirement. Her children rode their famous grandfather's horses.
In 1968, her son, Dwight David Eisenhower II, known as David, married Julie Nixon, daughter of President Richard M. Nixon.
During the Nixon administration, Mrs. Foltz was an important assistant to John Eisenhower when he was posted to Belgium as U.S. ambassador from 1969 to 1971.
She accompanied him to Taipei, Taiwan, when Eisenhower represented the United States at the inauguration of Chiang Kai-shek for his fifth term as president in May 1972.
In 1988 and 1990, Mrs. Foltz donated her papers, including correspondence with her in-laws, to the Dwight D. Eisenhower Library in Abilene, Kan.
Despite her official duties, Mrs. Foltz found time to volunteer as a nurse's aide for the Junior League of Philadelphia.
In 1979, Mrs. Foltz earned a bachelor's degree from Rosemont College and joined the college's development team. She and her husband were divorced in 1986. Both remarried. John Eisenhower died in 2013.
Mrs. Foltz's second marriage in 1988 was to Edwin J. Foltz, a former FBI agent who became a vice president at Campbell Soup Co. The Foltzes settled in Gladwyne for what would be a "happy chapter in her life," her family said. The couple moved to Waverly Heights in 1999.
After her husband's death in 2009, Mrs. Foltz devoted herself to her eight grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
"Her gentle and optimistic spirit will be sorely missed," her family said.
Surviving, in addition to her son, are daughters Barbara Anne, Susan Elaine, and Mary Jean.
Funeral services will be private.
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See more Eisenhower Foltz or Thompson memorials in:
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- Find a Grave Eisenhower Foltz or Thompson
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