Jack E. Forest Sr. passed away Monday, Dec. 16, 2019, at Clearwater Health and Rehabilitation. He was 74 years old.
He was born April 6, 1945, in Orofino, to Francis “Frenchie” Forest and Bessie (Smith) Morgan; he was the second to the youngest of five children. Jack was raised and spent his entire life in Orofino.
Jack served our country in Vietnam in 1966. After his service, he spent years in the woods working as a loader operator and log and dump truck driver. He worked for Ron Beck in the JP log yard, Gary Medley Logging and Lew Mangum. He also owned his own logging company, Jack Forest Enterprises. He was a hard worker his entire life until Parkinson’s disease took over.
Jack married the love if his life, Diane Mangum, Feb. 29, 1992. He loved spending time with Diane, especially when she played music. You could always find the two of them sitting in the stands watching their grandkids playing sports. If they weren’t watching grandkids, they would be at home working in their yard and garden. He always made sure that the yard was mowed. He loved spending time with his family, hunting, camping, fishing and riding his Razor.
Jack and Diane each had three kids that they brought to this marriage, Staci, JJ (Jack Jr.) and Michael; Vanessa, Lew and Kevin. Jack is survived by his wife, Diane; his daughter, Staci (Randy) Lee, of Orofino; his sons, Jack Jr. (Casey), of Peck, and Mike Forest, also of Orofino; three stepchildren, Vanessa (Darrell) Gray and Lew (Patti) Mangum, of Orofino, and Kevin (Shannon) Mangum, of North Carolina. He had 11 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, with one more on the way. Sisters Darlene Kleer, of Orofino, and Shirley Hockaday, of Yreka, Calif.; brother John Morgan, of Broken Bow, Okla.; and aunt Dolly Hulin, of Orofino, also survive him. He also has numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his mom, Bessie, and his dad, Frenchie; brother Mick Forest; sister Faye Parris; niece Tammy Thornton; nephews Tom Larson and Jeffrey Thornton.
There will be a celebration of life for Jack at a later date.
Jack will be missed, but never forgotten.
