Mr. Richard Forster

Published 5:31 pm Wednesday, February 12, 2020

Richard A. (Dick) Forster died February 6, 2020, at the age of 91.

Dick was preceded in death by his wife, Doris Jean Forster, and his daughter, Leslie Stark Forster. He is survived by sons Michael (Valarie) Forster of Hope Hull, and David (Antrice) Forster of Valley, daughter Ann Elizabeth Forster of New Orleans, six grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren.

Born Feb. 6, 1929, in Buffalo, New York.  At age 17, he left school to enlist in the WWII Army Air Corps. He remained on active duty when the Army Air Corps became the U.S. Air Force. He rose in rank to Technical Sergeant, then was commissioned a lieutenant during the Korean War. After a tour of duty in England and then at the North American Air Defense Command in Colorado, he was assigned to the University of Oklahoma as a student. He graduated with a degree in mathematics and physics. While still on active duty and using the WWII GI Bill, he earned two master’s degrees, one in mathematics, and one in Education from Troy University and a Master’s of Business Administration from George Washington University.

His assignment from the university was to the National Range Division, Cape Canaveral, Florida where he served on a NASA team developing the computer software to pre-position, and then move in real-time, ships and aircraft world-wide that gathered telemetry from the Saturn launch vehicle and the Apollo space capsule. After a tour of duty in Vietnam, he was sent to Maxwell AFB to attend school. He remained at Maxwell until he retired in 1969.

  After retiring, he taught mathematics and physics at the college level for seven years, then started a consulting business assisting church related agencies in raising funds to build nine new Salvation Army facilities in five different states. Locally, he managed building campaigns for the Nellie Burge Center, and Faulkner University, and campaigns that provided initial funding for the Stegall Seminary Scholarship Foundation, and the John Ed Mathison Foundation.

He was very active in the churches he and Doris attended as they traveled with the military and in retirement. He served on most church boards and committees, while serving as chairman of many. He was active in Sunday school, teaching for over forty years. He participated in four mission trips in the United States and five foreign missions. The last to Quito, Ecuador at age eighty-three. He was a founding member, and active participant of FUMC’s Joseph Ministry.

Dick’s volunteer community service included Red Cross Disaster Relief work, the Medical Outreach Ministry and tutoring school children. At various times, he served on the boards of the Samaritan Counseling Center, the Medical Outreach Ministry, the Nellie Burge Community Center, and the Lion’s Club/YMCA International Youth Camp Committee.

Dick’s neighbors and Sunday school classes will remember that his hobby was vegetable gardening, as they always shared in the harvests.

Visitation will take place at First United Methodist Church on Friday, February 14 at 10 a.m.  The funeral service will follow at 11 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Stegall Seminary Scholarship Foundation at First United Methodist Church, 2416 W. Cloverdale Park Montgomery 36106.

White Chapel Greenwood Funeral Home will handle the arrangements.