The life of Mary Love Foster, a beloved educator, is being remembered by the community she loved and served.

Foster died on May 16, 2003, and her life will be celebrated at 11 a.m. today at St. Paul AME Church.

George Grubbs said Foster was a one of the most loved and respected members of the community.

"Mary Love Foster loyally dedicated 32 years to public service as a educator with the Troy city schools," Grubbs said. "She was a wonderful influence on hundreds of children during those years at Oakland Heights Elementary School. She made a great contribution to her community through education."

Foster was a graduate of Alabama State and received a master's degree in education.

"She was a great teacher and a great person," Grubbs said. "She was a dynamic person. She always spoke the truth, as she knew it. She was a faithful member of St. Paul AME Church. She loved the Lord and she loved people and people loved her."

Grubbs said Foster was a lady with many talents and abilities.

"She was very artistic," he said. "Everyone who knew her will remember how beautiful her yard was. She had a way with flowers."

Foster loved her hometown, Troy, and she loved Alabama, Grubbs said.

"Once Mary made a flower bed in the shape of the state of Alabama," he said. "She lined it with bricks and when the flowers grew, it was a very beautiful sight. Mary grew the most beautiful azaleas, as pretty as those in Mobile.

Grubbs said Foster's grandfather was "Papa" Wallace Love, a master brick mason, whose legacy was the skilled craftsmen he trained.

One of the most significant structures to Wallace Love's credit is First United Methodist Church of Troy. Love supervised the masonry work.

His son and Foster's father, James Love was also a master mason.

The legacy of the Love family lived on through Mary Love Foster and Grubbs said that legacy will live on through those she taught and those who loved her.