Krista Barbara Jackson-Foster, 86, gracious hostess of North Mountain Vineyard for more than 26 years, died Sunday, August 9, 2026, after a brief battle with cancer.

She was Born in Stuttgart, Germany, during World War II to Ernst and Hildegard Lemm. Her family moved to Ernst’s home and farm in Pomerania along the Baltic coast. Later, the pressures of WWII forced Krista and her mom to move in with her mother’s parents in their home in the small Bavarian town of Wasserburg Am Inn. The town became a beloved home and central to her life, until she immigrated to the United States in 1959 with her American husband Carl Jackson. They settled in Virginia where they raised their two children. Krista earned a BA in German and an MA in history from George Mason University and taught German at Woodbridge Senior High School.

In 1982, after a divorce, she began her Western adventure driving with her son John to Monterey, California. John returned home, and Krista quickly made new friends, built a new life, and adored coastal California. She was hired to teach German at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey. In Moss Landing along the California coast, she met Brad Foster, a pilot who had served 16 years in the army. Ironically, the woman who had an intense fear of flying married the pilot (and skydiver).

Though they loved California, they made the difficult decision to quit their jobs and move to Texas. They had found that Sandyland Resort in the Texas Hill Country, where Brad had many happy memories from his younger days, was available to purchase. They bought the place and spent nearly a decade happily welcoming visitors. Then, because son John worked for the US Geological Survey and lived in the Washington DC area, the couple sold the Texas resort and resettled in Virginia.

The year was 1998 and it so happened that a vineyard was for sale in Shenandoah County at that time. Brad, Krista, and John bought the vineyard, the second oldest in Shenandoah County. (Shenandoah Vineyards is the oldest.) They cultivated grapes and friends for the next 26 years, greeting friends in a setting with Bavarian flair. The great room had wooden beams reminiscent of a German lodge, and an Oktoberfest was hosted each year, with Krista in full Bavarian costume, and a German shepherd or Belgian Sheepdog would stroll by as if they owned the place. Krista did love her shepherds and cats that sought out the vineyard and settled in.

These years were joyful and even offered opportunity for Krista and Brad to travel back to Europe visiting her childhood homes along the Baltic coast and Wasserburg Am Inn.

In 2019, just as Krista and Brad decided to truly retire and sell the vineyard, Brad fell ill and died in January. Krista missed Brad terribly but continued to run the vineyard while she sought a buyer. With great joy, she welcomed new owners in the Fall of 2025. It was time now for her to live in a real house, not just an apartment above a tasting room, stretch out and relax.

In June, she welcomed friends to an open house at her lovely new home overlooking the Shenandoah River and the New Market Battlefield. Ever the gracious hostess, she ran up and down stairs giving tours. Sadly, it was the last most of her friends would see of her. But thankfully, they have that happy memory.

Krista was a hugger. She had that soft German accent, so you always knew she was nearby. She was likely to drop by, without notice, with a bottle of wine or an amazing pastry, and a dog in her truck (not car). Known as Frau Jackson to all her students, she was still in contact with many of them. She cultivated beautiful gardens wherever she lived. She talked about Brad as if he were still alive. Now is the time to talk of Krista and our happy times with her.

Krista was proceeded in death by her beloved husband, Brad, and sister, Ingrid (Jeffrey) Englehart. She is survived by her son John (Kelly) Jackson, daughter Joanne Myatt, stepson Matthew Foster, grandchildren Eric Myatt, Janelle (Kevin) Chamberlain, great grandchild Wesley Chamberlain, nephew Philip (Teri) Gamble, niece Stephanie Englehart Hansgen, and cousins in Bavaria and Leipzig, Germany.

A Celebration of Life will be a private affair held on Saturday, October 10. If interested, please contact the family through this link (https://forms.gle/cwMrehru67Kp3qAL9), or email/text a family member. In lieu of flowers, please contribute in her name to the Humane Society of Shenandoah County at https://hsscva.org/