TERRY Foster, who has died aged 82, was a much-loved printer at Oxford University Press (OUP) and an avid sports fan.

The lifelong Oxford resident was at OUP for 30 years before he retired due to ill health, but he maintained a strong connection with the company long after he left.

Outside of his work, he was a season ticket holder at Oxford United for many years and attended several major sporting events.

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Terry Foster was born in Cowley on July 22, 1936 and was a lifelong Oxford resident.

His dad, Arthur, worked at OUP as an engineer, while his mum, Ivy, was also there for a short time.

Terry had two older siblings, Mick and Pam, and a younger sister, Valerie.

When he was young, the family moved to a property on Courtland Road in Rose Hill, which remained the family home for years.

Terry attended Donnington School, before he passed his 11+ and moved to Southfields Grammar School, now part of Oxford Spires Academy.

After leaving education, he enrolled in an apprenticeship at OUP, before taking a job as a printer until he retired.

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Mr Foster was a huge sports fan and played football from a young age, eventually becoming the goalkeeper for OUP’s football team.

Terry's brother, Mick, also worked at the company and the pair lined up alongside each other for OUP, winning several trophies on the pitch.

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His love of sport took him to major events throughout his life, from world darts and snooker championships to tennis at Wimbledon.

For many years, Mr Foster was a season ticket holder at Oxford United’s Manor Ground and latterly the Kassam Stadium, attending games until a few years ago.

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He worked on the printing machine at OUP, but was forced to retire in his late 40s due to ill health.

This did not stop him from making connections that lasted a lifetime, and he remained friends with former colleagues for many years after he left.

Mr Foster had a long term companion, Diana, for 47 years, but the pair never lived together.

Instead, Mr Foster had a flat on Walton Crescent, Jericho, a stone's throw from OUP's base, where he lived alone for his entire adult life.

He had no children of his own, but he became close to Diana’s daughter, Stephanie, over the years.

After leaving OUP he was never fit enough to work again, but this did not stop Mr Foster from taking several interesting trips abroad.

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One that particularly raised eyebrows was a trip to the Soviet Union in the 1970s, where he visited historic places including Leningrad and Moscow.

Mr Foster was known as friendly and likeable, but suffered from increasingly limited mobility as the years went on.

In his later years he began to use two walking sticks and he was admitted to the John Radcliffe Hospital on December 12.

Mr Foster passed away on January 7, 2019, and is survived by sister Valerie and companion Diana.

His funeral will be held tomorrow at 12:30pm at Oxford Crematorium's Memorial chapel. The service will be family flowers only and relatives have asked for donations to go to the Alzheimer’s Society.