Becky's goats are stars of show

Bob and Lori Foerster carry on their daughter's work.
By MARALINE KUBIK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
CANFIELD -- Becky Foerster was 11 when she adopted Woody and Silver, two baby pygmy goats. For the next four years, Becky fed, groomed and showed her goats, winning ribbon after ribbon at the Canfield Fair.
She also adopted Mikah, another baby pygmy goat, and tried to breed Silver, recalls Becky's dad, Bob Foerster of Greenford.
Becky was still trying to breed her doe and planning to win more ribbons showing Woody, Silver and Mikah when her plans came to a tragic halt.
What happened
Becky, a 15-year-old sophomore at South Range High School, and two of her friends were killed in December 2001 when their car went off the road after the driver, who'd just gotten her license, swerved to miss a deer.
"It was just a bad accident," Becky's dad says, shaking his head from side to side. "There was no alcohol involved, no excessive speed."
After the accident, Silver, Woody and Mikah could have been sold, "but they were my daughter's goats, and we didn't want to get rid of them," Foerster says.
So, he and his wife, Lori, took over. They fed, groomed and cared for the trio of pygmies and, because Becky had been so excited about the fair, entered her goats in the open class.
Woody, Silver and Mikah had been Becky's 4-H projects, Foerster said, but he and his wife aren't eligible to enter them in youth competitions.
Silver's babies
They also continued to try to breed Silver, who has given birth three times since Becky's death. Angel, the first baby goat, was named in Becky's honor and won a grand champion ribbon and a first-place ribbon at this year's fair, Foerster says proudly. "I just wish Becky could have seen her."
This is the second year the Foersters have shown the goats without their daughter.
Woody also won a grand champion and a first-place ribbon.
Silver and Angel, shown as a mother-daughter pair, won a first-place ribbon too.
"Two grand champions and three blue ribbons, I think we did pretty good," Becky's dad said.
The second baby goat Silver gave birth to is a male named Polaris. "Because these were Becky's goats, we decided all of their babies after Angel should be named after stars," Foerster explained. The third baby goat, also named after a star, died shortly after it was born by emergency Caesarean section.
Becky's goats and their offspring are collectively know as "Four Star Pygmies," a play on the Foerster name, Foerster says, as well as an honor to his daughter.
Following the theme, their stalls in the goat barn, building 37, are adorned with twinkling electric stars -- and their grand champion and first-place ribbons.
kubik@vindy.com