John Forbes
John Stephan Forbes, Sr., husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, died peacefully at his home in Lynden in the early hours of Jan. 6 at age 85.
The family is comforted in the knowledge that John trusted in Jesus Christ as his Savior and is now residing in his eternal home in Heaven.
John was born Oct. 21, 1936, in Canon City, Colorado. His father, Charles Harold Forbes, passed away in 1942. His widowed mother, Goldie (Nickerson) Forbes, then married Glen Eugene Snow.
The family relocated to Reedsport, Oregon and John graduated from Reedsport High School in 1954. He then enlisted in the United States Navy and served three years as a weatherman.
After the Navy, John attended Oregon State University, where he graduated in 1961 with a degree in engineering.
It was at a freshman mixer that John met the love of his life, Catherine (Cathy) Ann Carroll. They were married Sept. 20, 1959. Together, they had two boys – John Stephan Forbes, Jr. (Steve) and Michael Andrew Forbes (Mike).
John had a long and successful career in the retail industry. He began with Montgomery Ward as a store manager, until 1967, when he moved to become a Western Auto store manager in Lewiston, Idaho. He was promoted to territorial sales manager for Western Auto in 1978 and relocated to Vancouver, Washington.
As John’s territory expanded, he and Cathy relocated to Utah in 1986. In 1990, John and Cathy had the opportunity to purchase and operate a Western Auto Store in Elko, Nevada, which they enjoyed doing together until John retired in 2001.
John and Cathy relocated to Lynden at that time and enjoyed his retirement near his family and grandkids, splitting time between Lynden, where Steve’s family lived and Sarasota, Florida, where Mike’s family lived.
John was first and foremost a strong family man. Both immediate and extended family meant the world to him. Summer vacations were spent traveling to Oregon to visit both his and Cathy’s relatives.
John was proud of his heritage in Colorado, talking about and visiting with his extended family there.
John’s hobbies included fishing, cooking, gardening and traveling. The love of traveling was borne after hosting two foreign exchange students from Sweden, Hans Jacobsen and Camilla Wennberg.
John and Cathy took many memorable trips throughout the United States and Europe. They had a special connection in traveling to Europe for two reasons.
First, John enjoyed getting back to his ancestral roots in Scotland. Second, they fell in love with Italy because of the deep family connections they were able to make with Mike’s wife, Cinzia’s family from Ruvo di Puglia.
John and Cathy took several tours guided by Mike and Cinzia to different regions in Italy. John loved good food and good wine, which were both free flowing in Italy.
John came to faith in Jesus Christ later in life and was transformed by his Savior. He was faithful to pray for his family and to encourage them in their faith. He was fond of deep conversations about the Bible and the Lord. He enjoyed attending and serving at Lynden Community Church and at Bee Ridge Baptist Church in Sarasota, Florida.
John was preceded in death by his parents and parental in-laws, his brother, Harold Forbes, his sisters, Della (Snow) Bouchet and Glynnis (Snow) Wharfield, and his brother-in-law, Steve Carroll.
John is survived by his wife of 62 years, Cathy, his son Steve (Roxy), his son Mike (Cinzia), his grandchildren Jeremy, Daniel (Lydia), Joel, Nathan, Stephanie, Paul, Carroll and Alessandro Forbes, and great-grandchildren, Eleanor and Seth Forbes.
John is also survived by his brother, Glen Snow and his sisters-in-law, Sue (Ed) Hanscom, Nancy (Joe) Meyer, and Peggy Carroll. A graveside service will be held Saturday, Jan. 22 at 10 a.m. in Greenwood Cemetery. A memorial service will follow at Lynden Community Church.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations made be made to the Whatcom County Hospice Foundation. Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Gillies Funeral Home and Cremation Services.
