Kenneth W. Forbeck

Judge Kenneth William Forbeck of Beloit, Wisconsin, passed away at Aurora Medical Center - Summit on August 6, 2025, surrounded by his loving family.

Ken was born in Detroit, Michigan, on February 22, 1945, and spent much of his childhood in Monroe, Michigan. He graduated from Monroe Catholic Central High School in 1963 - where he pitched multiple no-hitters - and he graduated from Marquette University with a bachelor's degree in political science in 1967 and a law degree in 1970.

Afterward, he moved to Beloit, Wisconsin, to take a job with the law firm O'Neal & Elliott. He worked for a short time as an assistant district attorney before returning to the firm, leaving in 1984 to form his own firm - Forbeck & Monahan, S.C. - with his longtime friend Terry Monahan. They worked together until 2007, when Governor Jim Doyle appointed Ken to be a Rock County Circuit Court judge. He served in that position until 2015, when he declined to seek reelection after receiving a heart and kidney transplant at the Mayo Clinic in October of 2014.

In 1987, he married Nancy Schooff (née Vuchetich), and they lived happily together until his passing. He loved to read, travel, fish, listen to blues and jazz, watch movies, enjoy theater - he had season tickets to the American Players Theater for over three decades - and play and watch sports, cheering on his beloved Detroit Lions and Detroit Tigers. He also loved spending time with his family.

Over the years, he served on the boards of several local organizations, including the Stateline Boys & Girls Clubs and the Beloit Library Foundation Board, and he was one of the founding board members of the Roy Chapman Andrews Society and the Crossroad Counseling Center. He and Nancy also volunteered with CASA of Rock County.

Survivors include his wife, Nancy Forbeck; children, Matt (Ann) Forbeck of Beloit, Wisconsin; Mark Forbeck of Pensacola, Florida, Kim Forbeck (Todd Dunsirn) and Jody Forbeck (Giovanni Marta) of Shorewood, Wisconsin; stepchildren, Susie Schooff (Mark Meyer) of Middleton, Wisconsin; Dan Schooff (Alyssa Whitney) of Beloit, Wisconsin; and Steve (Jen) Schooff of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin; sisters, Kathy Kundrat (John Keegan) and Pam (Richard) Poll; grandchildren, Marty, Pat, Nick, Ken, and Helen Forbeck, Savannah and Delaney Forbeck, Murray, Henry, and Leo Dunsirn, Luke and Matteo Marta, Jack Rongstad, Cullen and Devin Schooff: and great-grandchildren, Lively and Sunny Rguig, along with several beloved cousins, nieces, and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Ken and Angie Forbeck, and by the mother of his children, Helen Forbeck.

Ken fought tenaciously for his family, his community, and even for his own life. He made the most of the extra years his transplants gave him, and his family would like to thank the family of his donor for that gift. Ken's family would also like to thank the doctors, nurses, and staff at the Mayo Clinic, the Beloit Health System, Aurora Medical Center - Summit, and Three Pillars Senior Living Communities for their skill and care.

A celebration of Ken's life will be held on Sunday, August 17, at the Rotary River Center, 1160 S Riverside Dr, Beloit, WI. The visitation starts at 1 PM with a short ceremony at 2:30 PM. A private burial will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, his family requests that donations be made to CASA of Rock County and the Stateline Boys and Girls Clubs.