Lew FORREST

Lew Forrest died at home January 19, attended by Sylvia, his wife of 62 years, and his three sons and their wives. He was 86 years old. He had had a long slow bout with non-Alzheimer's dementia but was his stable, pleasant self until nearly the end. A boy from Brooklyn, he served in Europe and the Philippines in World War II. With a BA in Journalism from the University of Georgia, he initially worked as a disc jockey and announcer at a daylight radio station in Decatur, Georgia. His interests and abilities were varied. He holds two patents, one for an electronic part and one for a piano repair tool. A singer and professional drummer with a love of jazz and Dixieland, he was a member of the Hot Frogs, a headlining band at the Sacramento Dixieland festival. An advertising executive for many years, he also worked as an actor, print model and piano technician. He was an amateur magician and a salt-water fisherman for fun, and was a wicked Scrabble player. A Mayoral Commendation was given to Seniors Entertaining Seniors, a non-profit group Lew established in Los Angeles to provide music and entertainment in convalescent homes and senior centers. After moving to Sebastopol in 1995 he was a long-time volunteer and whale-watching docent at Bodega Head. Lew was a man of great integrity and truly believed in freedom of thought. He is survived and missed by his wife, Sylvia; his sons and daughters-in-law, Jon and Anne of Kensington, Hugh and Marylou of Santa Cruz, and Steve and Trina of Sebastopol; and by his four grandchildren, Leah, Galen, Aidan and Madeline.