Joe M. Forman
d. March 16, 2008
Date Died: March 16, 2008
Funeral service for Joe M. Forman, 80, of Decatur will be Thursday, March 20, 2008, at 2:00 p.m. at the First Baptist Church of Decatur. The Reverends Ken May and Jack Gatewood will officiate. Burial will follow at Oaklawn Cemetery in Decatur. Visitation will be Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at Coker-Hawkins Funeral Home in Decatur from 6-8 p.m.
Pallbearers will be Jason Wren, Landon Wren, Matthew Forman, Jeremy Forman, Jay Davidson, Myles Mitchell, Richard Garrison, and Elbert Ray Forman.
Mr. Foreman was called home by the Lord on Sunday, March 16, 2008. He was born on September 24, 1927, in Decatur, to Ray Hugh Forman, Sr., and Eula Daughetee Foreman. He was a lifelong resident of Decatur and a graduate of Decatur High School. He married Anna LaVerne O'Neal Forman on August 9, 1947, and they were married for 56 years until her death in 2003.
Mr. Forman began a career with Wise Electric Cooperative in the late 1950's and became assistant manager in 1961. When Buster Head retired in 1975, Mr. Forman became general manager and continued to serve in that capacity until his retirement on January 1, 1991. Mr. Forman also served on a number of statewide boards and committees for the statewide network of electric cooperatives. After retiring from Wise Electric Cooperative, Mr. Forman joined Bobby Wilson and Patsy Slimp in Decatur Country Real Estate, in which he remained active until failing health forced him to retire a few months before his death.
The words of his Savior that "...the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve..." became the model for Mr. Forman's Life. He served his country in World War II and again when called to active duty with the 49th Armored Division of the Texas National Guard during the Cuban Missile Crisis. He retired from the National Guard after more than twenty years of service. At the time of his death, Mr. Forman was a member of the Wise County Veterans Group and the member of the Albert Sidney Johnston, Camp No. 983, Sons of Confederate Veterans. Mr. Forman also faithfully served his church as a deacon for more than thirty-five years and as chairman of he long-range planning committee.
Mr. Forman's dedicated service to his community included serving on the Decatur City Council from 1962 until 1984, including as Mayor for the last seven years of that tenure. He served three terms on the Decatur ISD School Board. Mr. Forman was a pat president of the Decatur Jaycees, Decatur Chamber of Commerce, and Decatur Lions Club (having been a member of the Lions Club for 58 years). He also served as a Boy Scout leader and Chief of the Decatur Volunteer Fire Department. Mr. Forman was a Mason and a Shriner.
Mr. Forman's service to and love for his family knew no bounds, and his family saw him as a pillar of integrity, a perfect example of perserverance, and a model of self-sacrificing love. He is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, LaDonna and Stephen Wren of Decatur; his son and daughter-in-law Jody and Rhonda Forman of Corinth; his grandchildren, Jason and Jennifer Wren of Decatur, Landon and Holly Wren of Corinth, Courtney Wren of Lubbock, Matthew and Becky Forman of Denton, and Jeremy Forman of Denton; his three great-grandsons, Samuel Wren, Isaac Joe Wren, and Riley Forman; a brother, Clint Forman of Waco; sister, Harriett Cook of Waco; sister, Eugenia Forman of Denton; numerous nieces, nephews and a host of friends.
Mr. Forman was preceded in death by his wife, his parents, and a brother, Ray Hugh Forman, Jr.
Memorial donations may be made to the First Baptist Church of Decatur Building Fund, 1200 Preskitt Road, Decatur, Texas 76234 or to a charity of your choice.
Coker-Hawkins Funeral Home 940/627-5959