Lisa Forsyth

1964 - 2025

Lisa Welsted Forsyth (Charlottesville, Virginia) On November 26, 2025 passed after a courageous16 year battle with cancer. Lisa is in the arms of Jesus, where she has earned her rest.. Her life was defined by love and caring for her friends, family, passion for work, and steadfast faith.

Lisa was born in Richmond, Virginia to Sylvia and Vernon Welsted Sr. Lisa grew up in Woodbridge, Virginia and graduated from Woodbridge High School. In her youth, Lisa enjoyed competitive horseback riding while staying active on the court as a member of the high school volleyball team.

Dedicated in her academics, Lisa excelled at the University of Virginia. In her time as a student with UVA's nursing program, she double majored in English and nursing (BSN). She then began her clinical work for UVA in the old Barringer Hospital while working to obtain her Master's degree in nursing (MSN). Many of her cherished memories and stories from her career came from her over 20 years spent working with inpatient neurosurgical patients, her professional specialty.

When she least expected it, Lisa met her soulmate, Bob Forsyth, on a blind date arranged by a close friend. It was love at first sight. Bob and Lisa were married at the UVA chapel. Their love grew into a beautiful family of four that so many have come to know and love today.

Lisa's love for family and career manifested throughout her life. Lisa was recognized as a top 10 nurse in the Commonwealth. As President of the Nursing staff she helped UVA achieve its first Magnate status in hospital history. While teaching at the nursing school, working on the unit, Lisa authored educational material still in use today.

In 2009, Lisa's nursing career came to an unexpected halt when she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Treatment brought her professional career to an end, but not her time with her family. By God's gift, as she admitted, her focus could now be solely on her family. Despite the odds, she continued to fight some of the worst medical battles seen by her care team yet simultaneously showed others what faith against all odds really looked like. To say Lisa was a fighter would be an understatement. Lisa's will to live was present up to her last moments here, on earth.

Her biggest cancer battle began in September 2023 when she was diagnosed with an aggressive case of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). Lisa fought this battle with grace and grit. Even on her hardest days, Lisa was encouraging and training people around her. Her poise and purpose, much like her relationships, were intentional. Her legacy will be felt by the lives she impacted.

We rest in confidence that her thumbprint will be embedded in the hearts of people we may never even know. The world will forever be a better place because of the 61 years she lived in faith and courage on this earth.

Shortly after her passing, God left us with an amazing gift: a brilliant rainbow, piercing the sky of central Virginia, to remind everyone how she colored the world with her joy and faith.

Lisa is survived by her mother, Sylvia St. Martin (Mechanicsville, VA), her husband, Bob Forsyth (Charlottesville, VA), her daughter, Abigail (Tom) Pomerleau (Harrisonburg, VA), son, R. Henry Forsyth, Jr (Herndon, VA), and her brother, Vernon (Lisa) Welsted (Flint Hill, VA).

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating blood products at your local blood drive and joining www.NMDP.org in their fight by being a match for someone like Lisa. You may also consider donating to your local Meals on Wheels or Food Bank.