Obituary of Helen Forrest

Helen Jane Forrest was born April 6, 1919 in Doniphan, Missouri to Bennett Duke and Ollie (Robinson) Henderson. She passed from this life Sunday, February 3, 2008 at the Franciscan Villa Nursing Home at the age of 88. She grew up in a happy home with her parents and five siblings, spending her childhood running through the woods, swimming in the Current River, and riding horses through the town. She graduated Valedictorian from Doniphan High School in 1937, and attended Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Giradeau. At the outbreak of World War II, Helen joined the State Department in Washington, D.C. as an administrative assistant to the Under Secretary of State. While in Washington, she met her future husband, Herbert Joe Forrest of Tulsa, who was staying in an adjacent boardinghouse. They were married on December 28, 1942 in Doniphan. Upon Herbert's graduation from the George Washington University School of Medicine, the young couple traveled the country for Herbert's medical corps assignments and post-graduate medical training. They moved to Tulsa after the war, where Herbert started his surgical practice. Helen had five children, including a set of triplets. Raising triplets is always a challenge and Helen took on the task with grace, humor, and hard work. In her later years, Helen enjoyed reading, painting, and entertaining her 10 grandchildren. Helen was preceded in death by her husband of 55 years, Dr. Herbert J. Forrest in 1998. She is survived by her brother, Joe Henderson of West Plains, MO; her five children and their families: son, Herbert Forrest, Jr. and his wife, Mary Jane, Herb's daughters, Carrie Seidner and her husband, Alan, Emily Fountain and her husband, Adam; son, John Forrest and his wife, Cheryl, their son and daughter, Bennett Forrest and his wife, Sarah and Stephanie Forrest; daughter, Mary Doyle and her husband, Philip, and their sons, Joseph and Thomas Doyle; son, David Forrest and his wife, Mary, their daughters, Rachel and Audrey Forrest; son, William Forrest, his wife, Lori, their daughter and son, Michelle and Ryan Forrest; and, Carrie and Emily's mother, Sandy Forrest. The family will receive friends at Ninde Brookside Funeral Home, 39th and South Peoria, 6-8:00 pm Wednesday. A funeral service will be held 11:00 am Thursday, February 7, 2008 at the First United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, friends may contribute to the Helen and Dr. Herb Forrest Memorial Fund, First United Methodist Church, 1115 South Boulder Ave. Tulsa, OK 74119. Ninde Funeral Directors, Brookside Chapel 742-5556. www.ninde.com