[1] Foss grew up with an atheist mother and a devout Christian father; she inherited both views but has stated: "I could not fall asleep without the prayer.

[citation needed] In 1953, Foss gave birth to a child with Down syndrome who died at a young age.

She is credited with raising public awareness about disabled individuals, founding, among other things, the vacation resort "Solgården" ("Hacienda del Sol") in Alicante, Spain.

Foss received a number of accolades, among them the Hedda Award, an honorary Amanda prize, and Toleranseprisen.

The funeral was broadcast live on national television, 4 April 2011, and was, in keeping with Foss' own wishes, open to the public.

It was also attended by King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway, as well as Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg and other prominent members of government.

[11] Foss is depicted on the tail fin of a Norwegian Air Shuttle Boeing 737-800, with the registration SE-RXD.