James “Jim” Duane” Foust, age 76, of Rice Lake, WI, passed away on February 12, 2025.

Jim was born on November 10, 1948 in Ladysmith to Robert and Elva (Burton) Foust. He graduated from Rice Lake High School in 1966, and later attended Horry/Georgetown Technical College in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Jim married Diane Millard in 1968, and they had one son, Jason. Jim served in the United States Army from 1969-1971, was a Vietnam Veteran in the 101st Airborne, and later joined the Wisconsin National Guards.

Jim worked in the cable television industry for most of his life. He worked for the Rice Lake Television (technician), Communicable of Texas (technician) in Crane, Texas, ParCable (manager) in Gwinn, Michigan, ParCable (regional manager) in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Fanch Communication (district manager) in Waynesfield, Ohio, Commonwealth Communication (chief technician) in Gloucester, Virginia, and Charter Communication (operations manager) in Rice Lake. Jim was a dedicated Packer and Brewers fan, and loved reading, tinkering on his old ‘49 Ford pickup and ‘72 MGB, and traveling in his vintage RV.

Jim is survived by his wife, Diane Foust; a son, Jason (Bridget) of Olympia, Washington; a brother, Vaughn (Bea) Foust of Rice Lake; sisters, Kathy Dahlberg of Rice Lake, Sharon Ostermann of West Bend, and Sue (Terry) Hensel of Chetek; mother-in-law, Lorene Millard of Rice Lake; brothers-in-law, Robert (Susan) Millard of Chetek, Richard (Sandra) Millard of Rice Lake, Douglas (Beth) Millard of Rice Lake and Duane (Carol) Millard of Columbus; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

Jim was preceded in death by his father, Robert Foust; his mother and step father, Elva and Lester Hantsman; brothers-in-law, Richard Dahlberg and Gerald Ostermann; nephews, Dickie Dahlberg, Daniel Dahlberg and Jared Ostermann. A celebration of his life will be held from 4-7PM Friday, February 21, 2025 at Appleyard’s Home for Funerals in Rice Lake, WI, with future interment in the Northern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Spooner, WI.

Last Update: Feb 14, 2025 9:14 am CST