Lisa's obituary

Lisa Foster Calderwood passed away peacefully at her home in Midway, Utah on April 25th at the young age of 34 after a four year battle with brain cancer. Heaven got a little brighter as Lisa returned to her heavenly home. Lisa had an infectious, vibrant personality and made friends wherever she was. She was always smiling and so happy. She was incredibly beautiful both inside and out. She lived life to the fullest and was always up for an adventure. Even while battling cancer she ran a full marathon and did a 100 mile bike race.

There is a quote that Lisa loved that describes her very well. "When you die, that does not mean that you lose to cancer. You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and the manner in which you live. So live. Live. Fight like hell. And when you get too tired to fight, lay down and rest and let somebody else fight for you." –Stuart Scott

Lisa lived these words to the fullest. She beat cancer. Three separate times she beat cancer by never giving up and by living life to the fullest. While many other people ask “why me?” or become bitter and angry about their trials, she held her head high, pressed onward, and continued to live with a smile on her face despite the heavy challenges that come with brain tumors. She leaned heavily on her faith in God and used that as a source of strength and comfort, even in her darkest hours.

Lisa loved to dance. She started clogging as a little girl and fell in love with it. She continued dancing all the way up until shortly before her death. Clogging opened up wonderful doors for her throughout her life. She made many friends who became her clogging family. She was a part of the folk dance team at Ricks College and toured Eastern Europe with her team. She also won a gold medal for dancing at the Junior National Olympics. While attending BYU she owned her own dance studio in Springville. When her husband was accepted to dental school in Maryland, she was sad to sell her studio but was lucky enough to find Teelin Irish Dance studio out there where she could continue teaching and making lifelong friends.

Lisa was a very smart and witty individual. She got her associates degree from BYU-Idaho (the first graduating class after the change from Ricks College) and then proceeded to get her bachelor’s degree from BYU. She was also very crafty and a talented seamstress. She had her own ETSY business where she would sew hooded animal towels for kids. She would often give these as gifts to friends and family. They were very popular and kept her busy throughout the years selling them at Swiss Days and on her website.

Lisa and her husband Cody had a fairy tale type of story when they met in the summer of 2002 in Chicago, Illinois. It was love at first sight. He was instantly attracted to her beautiful red hair and was smitten. After an exciting and joyous courtship, they married on April 25, 2003 in the Salt Lake temple for time and all eternity.

Her four children were the love of her life. Their playful, energetic personalities kept her on her toes as a stay at home mom, and what an amazing mom she was. Her children adored her and loved to be active outdoors with her while water skiing, camping, snow skiing, biking, hiking and rock climbing. The memories she created with her family are precious and will bring us joy for years to come.

Lisa is survived by her husband Cody Michael Calderwood, four children Tucker, Aubrey, Cole and Blake, her parents Ken and Susan Foster, and siblings Kevin, Heather (Pelfrey) and Spencer, along with many nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins.