John Forsyth

John Edward Forsyth, 86, passed away from an extended illness on May 3, 2009, in his home at the Quarry Senior Living Center in Vancouver, Wash. John was born in Atlantic, Iowa, on May 26, 1922, son of Earl L. and Nita M. Bottorff Forsyth. The family moved to Oregon in 1923. John attended Roosevelt Elementary School, and graduated from Corvallis High School in 1940. He married Esther E. Allphin on June 20, 1943, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Corvallis. John and Esther met in the seventh grade, and were high school sweethearts at CHS. John attended Oregon Agricultural College (now Oregon State University), and then joined the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1942. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant, and served as an aerial navigator of a B-24 bomber. He was an instructor of aerial navigation until 1946. John was stationed in Pullman, Wash.; Santa Ana, Calif.; Riverside, Calif.; and Hondo, Texas. He and Esther returned to Corvallis after World War II. John was a plumber for Arnett’s Plumbing in Albany, and for E.L. Forsyth Plumbing in Corvallis. In 1963, John and Esther, along with John’s sister and brother-in-law, bought E.L. Forsyth Plumbing and renamed it Mid-Valley Plumbing and Heating. John retired in 1980. He was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church, and a lifetime member of the Knights of Columbus. He was also a lifetime member of Elks Lodge 1413, and belonged to Plumbers and Pipefitters Local Union 290 and American Legion Post 011. He and Esther were the chairpersons for the CHS Class of 1940 reunions for the past 48 years. John and Esther traveled extensively throughout the United States, visiting family and friends. They also enjoyed their many fishing trips to Diamond and Suttle lakes. John felt very blessed to have lived so many years, sharing his life with his beloved wife, family and friends. John was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, William Forsyth, who was declared missing in action during World War II. Survivors include Esther, his wife of 65 years; his children, John Forsyth of Forest Grove and his wife, Margaret, Patty Clegg of Corvallis and her husband, Ken, Diane Andreas of Lebanon, N.H., and her husband, Ed, and Tom Forsyth and his wife, Angie; eight grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; his sister, Shirley England of Corvallis; a niece; and three nephews. A funeral Mass in celebration of John’s life will take place at 11 a.m. Friday, June 26, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Corvallis. The Catholic Daughters will serve a luncheon in the parish upper social hall after the service. Burial will be at Oak Lawn Memorial Park. Donations can be made to the Ray Hickey Hospice House, Southwest Medical Center Foundation, P.O. Box 1600, Vancouver, WA 98668, or through McHenry Funeral Home, 206 N.W. Fifth St., Corvallis, OR 97330.

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John Forsyth

May 26, 1922 - May 3, 2009