Charlotte Jean Forste

Charlotte Jean Forste née Lenz passed away peacefully and gracefully on August 25, 2025. She was at home and surrounded by love and her family. She led a rich life of adventure and exploration driven by her curiosity to meet new people, learn new things, and ask questions. She was always loving, generous, and thoughtful, baking many loaves of bread to share, piecing colorful quilts to keep others warm, and sharing her skills and knowledge with others.
She was born on October 4, 1942 and grew up in the heartland of the United States. She and her family moved often because her father Marcene Lenz was a construction manager building hospitals and schools in Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Illinois. She went to college at the University of Illinois in Champagne-Urbana, where she earned an education degree in 3 years. She met Earle Forste while waitressing at the Pancake House. He came after his radio shows to sit at the counter, drink a mug of coffee, and talk to the pretty waitress. They married on her birthday October 4, 1963. They had two daughters, Sherry (1964) and Carol (1966). They moved from Hannibal, Missouri to Cincinnati in 1972. Charlotte got a job teaching middle school English and math at Goshen's Spalding Middle School where she worked for 30 years before retiring in 2002. She would make her own classroom decorations, drawing posters with funny cartoons and inspirational poems. One of her favorite sources were grooks by Danish poet Piet Hein. Here is one:
When you feel how depressingly slowly
you climb
it's well to remember thatThings Take Time." Piet Hein
After Earle died in 1989, Charlotte started cycling. She biked across the entire United States of America from the west coast to the east coast in 1991 and again in 1993. It was on her first ride that she met Neal Goman, her partner in life and love for the next 34 years.
After Charlotte retired in 2002, she moved to Minneapolis to live with Neal. Together they bought their house "Bird Watcher," a short walk away from Minnehaha Falls. Every morning, she and Neal would sit together in their snowshoe chairs, sip their tea, watch the people walk and bike past, and observe the birds flitting through the trees along the banks of the creek running in front of their house. They drove to Maine to build an Aleutian baidarka kayak together. They drove to Philadelphia so they could order a custom-made tandem bike from Bilenky. They did tandem rallies, took countless bike rides, and hosted chili parties in January. They biked 3 weeks through New Zealand. They demonstrated at the Minneapolis State Fair as part of the Weavers Guild of MN outreach program and showed people how to spin wool. Charlotte displayed her many beautiful hats made from exotic fibers and asked people to guess what fibers were used. No one got them all right.
Charlotte was a master-level quilter, who made quilts for new babies, weddings, house-warmings and just because they were a challenge. She took painting lessons at Laughing Water Studio and painted many beautiful landscapes. The paintings which did not meet her standards became wrapping paper. She crocheted afghans which she gave as graduation gifts to grandchildren and special people. She was an intuitive knitter who made gorgeous items from wool, cotton, silk, and linen. Whenever anyone had a problem with their knitting or crocheting, they came to her for help. The problem was solved usually over a slice of bread or cookies fresh out of the oven.
When Charlotte met Neal Goman in 1991, she found her dearest partner and great love. They spent happy years together having many, many adventures. Neal devoted the last two years caring for Charlotte with tenderness, devotion, and love. She is also survived by her two daughters Sherry Forste-Grupp (Steve Grupp) and Carol Ainsworth (Tom), three grandchildren Christopher (Emily Humbert), Tristan and Evelyn, her sister Barbara Szepal, and numerous cousins.
Funeral Service: Saturday, November 15, 2025, at 11 a.m. with visitation one hour prior at Washburn-McReavy Nokomis Park Chapel. Private interment Lakewood Cemetery, Minneapolis.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Our Lady of Peace Hospice https://ourladyofpeacemn.org/donate/
or Second Harvest Heartland