John Foarde

A lifetime of devotion to faith and family ended peacefully on Sunday, October 10, 2010, as John Joseph Foarde Jr. passed away with family at his side in his home in Austin, Texas. John was 86 years old. John was born on February 18, 1924 in Waterloo, Iowa to John Joseph Sr. and Eva (Mackin) Foarde. He spent most of his young life in Des Moines, Iowa; where he attended St Augustin Catholic School and Dowling Catholic High School. After high school, John enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1943, and was stationed in Alaska, where he served in the Army Air Corps. After being honorably discharged, he returned to Des Moines and enrolled as an undergraduate at Drake University. John graduated from Drake University and went on to earn a law degree at Drake University Law School. He was admitted to the Iowa State Bar on October 13, 1950. John married Evelyn L Craver (LaVon), of Mt. Pleasant Iowa on June 29, 1952. They had nine children between 1953 and 1966. In 1950, John joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation, where he enjoyed a long and successful career spanning 27 years. He served in a variety of capacities in FBI offices throughout the U.S., including Chicago, and the Bureau headquarters in Washington D.C. Most notable in his career, John accepted an assignment in 1966 with the FBI’s office of the Legal Attaché in Mexico City, Mexico. John served in that office as assistant Special Agent in Charge for nine years and was later promoted to Special Agent in Charge overseeing the Bureau’s entire Mexico operation until his retirement in 1979. Upon retiring from the Bureau, John relocated to McAllen, Texas, where he practiced immigration law for several years until he fully retired. He and LaVon moved to San Antonio and later to Austin Texas. John remained dedicated to the Bureau well into retirement and was an active member of the Society of Former Special Agents of the FBI. A devout Catholic, John served the church throughout his life as a member of the choir and as a lector at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Mexico City, Our Lady of Sorrows in McAllen and St. Matthew's in San Antonio. In retirement, John found time to seriously pursue his true passion: barbershop singing. He was a standing member of the - Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America and sang tenor with the San Antonio Chordsmen barbershop group for close to 10 years. While generally known as a serious man, John possessed a razor wit, as well as a secret penchant for ingenious pranks and well-crafted silliness, which he shared only with those closest to him. John was preceded in death by his father, John J. Foarde Sr.; mother, Eva Foarde; step-mother, Jean E. Foarde; and sisters, Patricia Cutler and Judith Foarde. He is survived by his wife, LaVon Foarde of Austin Texas, along with his nine children: John J Foarde III, of Oakton, Va., Mary Foarde of Minneapolis, Minn., Thomas Foarde of Austin, Texas, Patrick Foarde of Atlanta, Ga., Katie Foarde of Austin, Texas, Timothy Foarde of Fairfield, Conn., Michael Foarde of Orlando, Fla., Elizabeth Foarde of Austin, Texas and Daniel Foarde of Austin, Texas; plus 18 grandchildren. He is also survived by sisters, Joanne Lindsey of Los Angeles, Calif., and Jackie Kniss of Indian Hills, Colo.; and brothers, James Foarde of Prescott Valley, Ariz., Jerald Foarde of Columbia, Md., Jeffrey Foarde of Chapel Hill, N.C., Joseph Foarde of Des Moines, Iowa, and Jan Foarde of Fort Smith, Ark. John will be laid to rest at Our Lady of the Rosary Cemetery, in Georgetown, Texas. A rosary will be held at 7:00 p.m. Tuesday October 12, and a funeral Mass will be held at 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, October 13, 2010 both to be held at St. Albert the Great Church in Austin; burial services will follow immediately following the funeral Mass. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that a donation be made in John's name to the St. Dominic Savio High School Library Fund, c/o Kevin Calkins, 9300 Neenah Drive, Austin, TX 78717 or to the charitable institution of your choice. Arrangements under the direction of Wrench Funerals & Cremations, Leander, Texas.