John Richard Forro

Born March 6, 1936, in Bridgeport, CT to Frederick and Augusta (Hayes) Forro, John graduated from Enfield High School in 1954 and went on to attend the University of Connecticut where he received a BA in Bacteriology in 1959 and an MS in Microbiology in 1962.

John married Elizabeth Ann Gardner while attending the University of Connecticut, and upon completing his master’s degree, they moved to Michigan, where John spent a year working towards a PhD in Biochemistry at Michigan State University. In 1965, he transferred to Pennsylvania State University where he completed his PhD in Microbiology.

John’s first position was as an Instructor and Researcher in the Department of Microbiology at the University of Miami School of Medicine. John and family enjoyed their time living in Florida with many memorable weekend trips to the Florida Keys. John went on to become a Research Scientist with the General Electric Company (GE) in both Syracuse, New York and King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. Over the course of 17 years with the company, John conducted research in biomass transformation, shipboard waste treatment systems, and germ warfare detection systems.

Following his departure from General Electric, John worked for several years at Biochem Technology in Malvern, Pennsylvania conducting research in fermentation control mechanisms. He finished his career working for Wyeth Pharmaceuticals in Wayne, Pennsylvania as a Senior Clinical Scientist, where he led clinical trials in the United States and South America focused on pediatric vaccines.

John was always very active when not working. His hobbies included fly fishing, hunting, home improvement projects, gardening, and photography. John also enjoyed good food and even became an amazing self-taught gourmet cook. He was known by all as a kind person who was always willing to help others, while having a great sense of humor. Above all, John cherished his time spent with family and friends.

Following retirement, he and Elizabeth moved from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to Glastonbury, Connecticut, to be closer to family. They enjoyed playing bridge with their friends, vacationing in Maine and Florida with their children and grandchildren, as well as traveling abroad. Both John and Elizabeth enjoyed volunteering together at Hartford Hospital (CT) as a way of giving back to their community.

John will be dearly missed by his wife Elizabeth of 63 years, his daughter, Lisa Ann (Zimmerman), who resides in Connecticut with her husband John and their children, Andrew, Kyle and Amanda, his daughter Amy Forro who resides in Rhode Island with her husband Leo Basta, and his son Jason Gardner Forro who resides in Michigan with his wife Kari (Barter) and their 2 children, Ryan and Josh.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.greastlansing.com for the Forro family.