Kent woman who died in vehicle fire identified

The woman who died in a vehicle fire last month in Kent has been identified as Meike Foster, 76, of Kent, by the King County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Foster died from smoke inhalation during a vehicle fire on the East Hill, according to the medical examiner. Foster lived in the Meridian Valley Country Club community.

Firefighters from the Kent Fire Department Regional Fire Authority responded to several reports of a fire at about 10:46 p.m. on Nov. 26 in the 13200 block of Southeast 247th Street, according to the Kent Fire Department. Firefighters discovered a parked black SUV on fire.

After extinguishing the fire and opening the vehicle’s doors, the firefighters found the body of Foster, who was dead. Investigators ruled the fire as accidental, said Kyle Ohashi, spokesman for the Kent Fire Department.

Kent Police didn’t investigate the case because there was no evidence that a crime occurred, said police spokeswoman Melanie Frazier.

Foster was born Dec. 3, 1937 in Dillingen, Germany, according to her obituary. She was the daughter of photographer and retail camera merchants Rudolph and Maria Schneider. She trained as a photographer and worked in the family business into her 30s.

She met Leo Foster, who was working overseas, at the photography studio. They were married a short time later, started a family in Europe and later lived in California before moving to Kent. She enjoyed golf, living in the Meridian Valley community and running a German import business she started to maintain a connection to her heritage and share it with others.

Survivors include her son Nick, daughter Meike, two granddaughters and numerous relatives in Germany.

Leslie Elwood Foster, her husband, died in 2012. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Services for Meike Foster were Dec. 8 at Marlatt Funeral Home in Kent followed by a burial at Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent, where her husband also is buried.