Jack E. Forrest

The Man of Steel with a Heart of Gold.

As a teenager, I vividly remember going to the hardware store with my dad. I was embarrassed of him, so I let him go in first while I waited in the car. I did not want people to know we were together. He knew I was embarrassed of him, so once I was inside he purposefully yelled my name for all to hear and look his way. What they saw was a middle-aged man who had cut an old pair of jeans a bit too short, so the boxer shorts underneath hung out the bottom. I was humiliated, of course, but his contagious laughter caused me to start laughing too. Although I am sure we both looked a little crazy that day, this is a perfect picture of how my dad brought this deep, yet simple joy into every life he touched.

My dad, Jack E. Forrest (aka Come Back Jack), was finally called home to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, at the age of 77, on Wednesday, January 27, 2016, at 1:47 pm. You see, my father had colon cancer, as well as quadruple bi-pass surgery in his fifties. From there, he developed almost every ailment in which one could develop, or so it seemed. I asked everyone in the family, and no one actually knew exactly how many near-death experiences he had over the last 20 years. None of that mattered to Come Back Jack. He still worked non-stop, while living on cigars, diet coke and coffee by day, and bags of Doritos and dip at night. He absolutely loved life, and he lived hard until the very end.

The day my dad and I went to the hardware store, I think he was painting, hence the old, cut-off jeans. He thought his cut-off jeans were very funny, because he was a very humble man; however, it was not his norm. As a matter of fact, I can see his closet as if it were yesterday--a row of blue and black suits, white shirts, rows of ties, and several pairs of wing tipped business shoes. He was a devoted employee to IBM for 43 years. He started out repairing computers as a Customer Engineer, then became a CE Manager, and finally oversaw the building of data centers as a Project Manager. In his spare time, he was a devoted landlord to his tenants, and --for six years-- he coached the Bengals and Cowboys for the Western Warrior Youth Football Program.

He and my mom, Ditha, raised three children: Tim, Phil, and me, Cheryl, his only daughter. As my dad would tell you if he were still here, we turned out great! Like dad, Tim and Phil are wonderful husbands to their beautiful wives Teresa and Kim Forrest.

At about 5 years old, dad's oldest granddaughter, Whitney, asked one of her friends if she had a "Jackie," because that is what his eight grandchildren lovingly called him. "Jackie's" grandchildren are Whitney Neal, Taylor Thomas, Jonathan and Mackenzie Spaniol, as well as Jack Tanner, Tyler, Shelby, and Noah Forrest.

My dad loved a lot of things and people, but nothing compared to his one true love--his high school sweetheart 'Ditha Pearl.' Even during his final weeks in life, he was so very sick, but he would still light up when she walked into the room. He was a devoted husband for 55 years.

I will miss you when I need to hear things like “I love you,” “Do you know I love you?” and “Are you my girl?” I will miss you when I am watching TV in the den without you. I will miss you when I am driving down the highway listening to Fats Domino on Pandora. I will miss you every time I go to the store, especially when I go down the candy aisle. The reality is that, for now, I will miss you every minute of every hour of every day for awhile; however, someone reminded me, recently, that mourning is truly beautiful, because deep mourning is just a reflection of the incomparable love that we were lucky enough to experience by knowing you.

A celebration of Jack’s life will take place on Tuesday, February 2, 2016, at 2:00 pm in the chapel of Arch L. Heady at Resthaven, 4400 Bardstown Road with entombment to follow at Resthaven Memorial Park. Guests are invited to attend a visitation from 2:00–8:00 pm on Monday, February 1, 2016 at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the American Diabetes Association.