Ernestine Neal Foshee Allen

Ernestine Neal Foshee Allen, beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend, was born on November 7, 1940, in Winnsboro, Louisiana, to James Lawice Neal and Grace Louise Latham Neal. Ernestine passed away peacefully on December 18, 2025, after suffering several health setbacks, at the age of 85.

Ernestine graduated from Natchitoches High School in 1958. Shortly thereafter, she married the love of her life, Richard Earl Foshee, Sr., on June 26, 1958. Together they welcomed their only child, Richard Earl Foshee, Jr., on September 25, 1961. When Richard Sr. decided to continue running Foshee Electrical Services on his own, Ernestine was right by his side, overseeing the office and keeping the crew in line with her steady hand and sharp wit.

After the death of her first husband, Ernestine later found love again and married Ray Hewitt Allen (Blossom) on May 4, 2008. Ernestine and Ray shared a love for travel and enjoyed memorable trips to Alaska, Yellowstone National Park, Nashville, and Del Rio, Texas.

Ernestine had a deep love for the outdoors. She enjoyed hunting and fishing, gardening, tending to her flowers and plants, and faithfully feeding the birds outside her window. She assisted her first husband with beekeeping, woodworking, and winemaking, and she took art lessons from Mina McKaskle, becoming a very talented artist in her own right. Ernestine was also never without a dog in the house—size or breed never mattered—as animals held a special place in her heart.

She dearly loved her grandchildren but was especially proud of her great-granddaughters, Ripplie and Piper. They spent much of their younger years sneaking over to visit “Grandma Allen” and raiding “Papa Ray’s” cookie jar. Ernestine often joked that she hated how fast they were growing, and once they became taller than she was, she would make them kneel down so they “weren’t so tall.”

Services for Ernestine will be held on Saturday, December 27, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at Blanchard-St. Denis Funeral Home in Natchitoches, with Brother Tim Leach officiating. Visitation will take place on the same day from 9:00 a.m. until service time at the funeral home. Burial will follow at Memory Lawn Cemetery in Natchitoches.

Ernestine was preceded in death by her first husband, Richard Earl Foshee, Sr.; her second husband, Ray Hewitt Allen; her son, Richard Earl Foshee, Jr.; her grandson, Christopher Allen Foshee; her parents, James Lawice Neal and Grace Louise Latham Neal; her paternal grandparents, James Ernest Neal and Minnie Belle Searcy Neal; and her maternal grandparents, William Edgar Latham and Emma Irene Harrel Latham.

She is survived by her daughter-in-law, Elizabeth “Beth” Foshee; her grandsons, Richard Earl Foshee, III, and wife LeAnna, and Matthew James Foshee and wife Megan; her grandchildren Ripplie Perkins, Piper Foshee, Haleigh Dowden, and Louise Dowden; her “bonus son,” Marvin “Butch” Johnson and wife Debbie; her sister, Geraldine Gullion; nephews Terry Mitchell, Jr., Mark Busby, Chris Busby, and Eddie Jordan; and her niece, Denise Solomon, along with a host of other family members and friends who will cherish her memory.

The family would like to thank The Courtyard of Natchitoches and Hospice of Natchitoches for their care and attentiveness to Ernestine.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to FAUNA (Friends All United for Natchitoches Animals’), P.O. Box 2552, Natchitoches, LA 71457; the Baptist Children’s Home; the NRMC Cancer Center; Coldwater Baptist Church in Hagewood; Emanuel Baptist Church in Natchitoches; or the charity of your choice.