Robert T. Forest

1929 - 2015

Robert T. Forest

May 21, 1929

Jan. 14, 2015

Robert T. Forest of Sparks, Nevada, died of Leukemia on January 14, 2014, surrounded by his family.

Bob was born on his grandfather's homestead near Lewis, Montezuma County, Colorado on May 21, 1929 to Melvin and Eva (Jewell) Forest. He grew up in southwestern Colorado, graduating from Durango High School in Durango, Colorado in 1947. In August 1948 he joined the U.S. Navy, served four years in San Diego, California, and was discharged in August 1952.

While serving in the Navy, he met and married V. LaVerne Zimmerman who was teaching at Ramona High School in Ramona, California. They were married in La Mesa, California on November 21, 1951. Bob and LaVerne had three children: Carol (Buonanoma), Michael and Mark.

Following his discharge from the Navy Bob attended the Colorado School of Mines at Golden, Colorado for four years, graduating with a degree in Geological Engineering. His first job was with Chile Exploration Company at Chuquicamata, Chile. Upon returning to the United States, he took a job with the Rico Argentine Mining Company in Rico, Colorado. From there, he went to work for Phillips Petroleum Company in Grants, New Mexico. After five years in Grants, Phillips transferred Bob to Reno, Nevada to establish a mineral exploration office. The last 13 years of Bob's work with Phillips involved geothermal exploration and development. Some of the important geothermal sites Bob was involved in discovering and developing in Nevada were the Steamboat site in southwest Reno, Desert Peak and Stillwater sites where they're still operating geothermal power plants. Bob retired from Phillips in 1985 after 25 years with the company.

Following his retirement from Phillips, Bob went on working as a full-time consultant for Coral Gold Corporation for several years at their Crescent Valley, Nevada gold operation. Following that, he provided consulting services for OESI Power Corporation at Soda Lake and Stillwater in Churchill County and worked on the development of the Rye Patch geothermal field in Pershing County Nevada until 1994.

From 1994 to 1995, Bob was Chief of Regulation in the Division of Minerals for the State of Nevada after which he retired for good.

As a father, our dad spent time with us. His activities of choice involved nature and getting out in the woods or in the desert. He drove the family car as if it were a truck and took great delight and going off-road in it. When the terrain got too rough, we got out and walked. The life lessons we learned on those outings we carry with us to this day: independence, perseverance and how to take care of our families.

Surviving are his wife of 8 years, Ruby Forest, brother Gene Forest and his wife Felicity, sister Doris Butler and her husband John, sister Patricia, his daughter Carol Buonanoma and her husband Dennis, his son Mark Forest and his wife Kristin, grandsons Joshua Forest, Jared Forest, Ben Ferguson, Abram Forest, Justin Buonanoma, Jeffrey Buonanoma, and their spouses, granddaughters, Nichole Forest-Shanks and Mindy Imura and 14 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his first wife, LaVerne of 53 years and his son Michael.

The family would like to express our thanks to Dr. Tejvir Singh and Dr. Suresh Reddy and the staff of Reno Oncology for their compassionate care of Bob - especially during the last six weeks of his life.

A funeral service will be held at Ross, Burke & Knobel, 2155 Kietzke Lane, Reno, Nevada on Friday, January 23, 2015 at 2:00 P.M. A short graveside ceremony will immediately follow.