Dr. John Alexander
Johnson Forest, Jr.
DOVER - Dr. John Alexander Johnson Forest, Jr. passed away on Friday, July 17, 2020 at the Delaware Veteran's Home, Milford. Dr. Forest battled Parkinsons's Disease for 15 years and was a resident of the Veterans Home since May 2019.
Dr. Forest was born July 2, 1925 in Milford, Delaware to the late John A. J. Forest, Sr. and Hester Sipple Forest. The Sipple family lived in or near Milford for many generations and can trace its lineage on Delmarva to 1636.
He graduated from Milford High School in 1942 and attended University of Delaware for 1 semester. In 1942, he joined the United States Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP) and was assigned to study engineering at the University of Maine. ASTP was a program designed to train gifted recruits as officers. However, the program was terminated and the recruits were assigned to infantry training. Dr. Forest was assigned to the Yankee Division and trained at Camp Forrest in Tennessee.
During WWII, he landed at Cherbourg, France. He was injured and recuperated in England. Then, he was sent to the Ardennes Region of France to fight in the Battle of the Bulge. He was awarded two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star for his military service.
After the military, he continued his education at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN and Temple Medical School, in Philadelphia. He completed his internship at St. Christopher's Hospital in Philadelphia and was a Fellow at Wilmington Hospital.
Dr. Forest was the 1st Board Certified Pediatrician south of the canal. He was licensed to practice medicine in DE, PA and FL and also as a Medical Examiner. In 1957, he founded his Dover practice which quickly thrived due to the baby boom and shortage of doctors. Over time, his partners included Dr. William Leitzinger, Dr. Walter Omans and Dr. Stephen Schlesinger. Dr. Forest was also the Staff Pediatrician of Stockley Center near Georgetown, DE.
In 1984, Dr. Forest retired from private practice to accept a position with the State of Delaware as Chief of the Bureau of Personal Health Services. He established clinics for early screening of childhood disabilities including special clinics for infants, therapies for developmentally delayed children, pediatric cardiology clinics, expanded neurology clinics and other resources for young adults with physical or mental handicaps.
Dr. Forest was very active in medical planning and oversight. His various appointments included: DE Institute of Medical Education and Research (DIMER), DE Board of Nursing Home Administrators, DE Healthcare Resources Board, Child Death and Stillborn Review Commission, and the Advisory Council of Alcoholism, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health. He was a past President and an Emeritus Fellow of the Academy of Pediatrics. In 1994 he was honored in a resolution passed by the DE House of Representatives commending his service to the children of Delaware.
He was a member and Church Elder of the Presbyterian Church in Dover.
In addition to his parents; he was preceded in death by his wife, Marie Emerson Forest in 2017.
He is survived by his children, John A.J. Forest, III and his wife Pam of Minden, NV, William Forest and his wife Debbie of Felton, Ramsey Forest of Dover and Amy Dubois and her husband Jean-Jacques of Raleigh, NC; grandchildren, Becky Luse and her husband Kendrick, Robert Forest, Andrew Forest, Audrey, Samuel, Sophie, and Leo Dubois; great grandchildren, Emerson and Eloise Luse.
A Celebration of Life will be held at a much later date when COVID transmission is not an issue. Burial will be private.
In lieu of flowers the family suggests contributions be made to the Delaware Veterans Home at 100 Delaware Veterans Blvd., Milford, DE 19963.
Letters of condolence may be sent and guestbook signed at http://www.torbertfuneral.com