John Reginald Forward

1939 - 2017

John Reginald Forward, 78, of Boulder, CO, passed away peacefully at his assisted living memory care home in Golden, CO on December 10, 2017 after a long courageous skirmish with Alzheimer's disease. John was born July 14, 1939 in Latrobe, Tasmania, Australia to Edney and Joyce Forward. He received his B.A. degree at the University of Melbourne in 1960 and his Ph.D. in Social Psychology at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 1967. In 1970 John and his family moved to Boulder, CO where he spent most of his career as a Professor of Social Psychology at the University of Colorado - Boulder. Among John's great passions were spending time with his four kids, his many friends, as well as former students and university colleagues. During his tenure, John was an exceptional advocate for talented minorities, helping to recruit many into CU's psychology program, many of whom went on to highly successful careers. He was also known for his unwavering dedication to building supportive communities and fostering healthy community development. When not teaching, the nearby mountains were a favorite destination for many summer hikes, aspen viewing trips in the fall, and winter cross country skiing trips. All who knew him enjoyed his tremendous sense of humor and warmth. Even in his later years when succumbing to Alzheimer's, he continued to have a remarkable ability to see beauty in people and in nature. John is survived by his four children, Malcolm Forward, Kent Forward, Joe Sapin and Rachel Sapin, a grandchild Azure, as well as his three siblings Roy Forward, Margaret Brown and Peter Forward of Australia. The family is planning a celebration of life for John in the spring of 2018 in Boulder, CO. Please contact Kent Forward at kforward@yahoo.com for details. Memorial donations may be made in John's name to the Alzheimer's Association, P.O. Box 96011, Washington, D.C. 20090-6011, https://www.alz.org/