John Joseph Forken was born on November 25th, 1945 to John and Marion Forken in Syracuse, New York. He passed away peacefully, in Rochester, on Saturday, June 11th, surrounded by his loving family, after a battle with multiple myeloma. He was 76.
John is survived by his devoted wife, Chris. He is predeceased by his parents, (John and Marion Forken) and his elder son, Marty. He is survived by Marty’s wife, Lynda Forken (children Jake and Jamie), daughter Beth, her husband, Mike Ehret (sons Zach and Noah Ehret), his son Doug, wife Adrienne (daughters Adia and Dakota Forken) and his sisters Kathy Procopio and her husband Tony (children Sara, Carin, Christopher and Mark), Peggy Forken and her husband Steve, Carol Hillyard, Patty Forken and her husband Mike Lammey (son Peter) and Amy Gains and her husband Bob (daughter Shaela).
The oldest of six children and the only boy in the family, “Little Johnny” spent his early years biking around Syracuse with neighborhood kids and his cousins, often ending up at Split Rock Canyon to play a pick-up football or baseball game.
He later headed off to St. John Fisher College where a young girl caught his eye during his second day on campus. Like everything else in life, he didn’t let the opportunity pass him by. They soon began dating and were married three years later. For over a half-century, he couldn’t have loved Chris more.
With three kids at home and 14 years of teaching behind him, John decided to embark on a new career as a financial planner. Along with his wife, Chris, they built a very successful business. He adored his clients and treated their financial future as though it were his own. He drove as far as Gouverneur, Massena, and all over the state to look clients in the eye and shake their hands. He provided a level of service, care, and respect that is difficult to find. (utahcnacenters.com)
John was fiercely loyal and loving. Everything he did was for the benefit of his family. He rarely missed any of his children and grandchildren’s sporting and musical events since the mid-1970s.
He had a remarkable passion for golf and skiing, considering his glaring ineptitude at both. Never one for subtlety or nuance, you certainly knew where you stood with him. He was proudly and stubbornly Irish and relished political debates. Growing up, his youngest asked him his opinion about a few Democrat and Republican candidates. John looked at him over his newspaper and said, “Frankly, Douglas, they’re all full of it.”
Despite his blunt nature, he was a “softy” around his grandchildren. Whether it was Jake, Jamie, Zach, Noah, Adia, or Dakota, he melted when they were on his lap as babies and basked in their accomplishments as they grew.
He traveled to many parts of the world, but his favorite vacation was providing the family an opportunity to get together each year and make memories on Canandaigua Lake. We all shared so many smiles and sunsets there. We are eternally grateful.
The family hopes that John is with Marty now sitting on a porch, sipping a gin and tonic, gazing over a lake, and listening to the birds. We love you, Big John
Services will be held at a later date
Donations in John’s honor can be made to the Cancer Institute and Hildebrandt Hospice Care Center.
Comments
8 responses to “Forken, John Joseph”
Mrs. Forken, Beth, Doug, Lynda and your entire family:
You are in my thoughts and prayers during the difficult time and years to come.
With much love,
Brian
Chris, Beth, Doug, Lynda – all the wonderful grandchildren – and your entire family:
I’m praying for you each day, and sending love to everyone. My heart is full of emotions and love for your wonderful family.
You are in my thoughts daily during the difficult time and forever!
Love,
Maureen
Beth, Mike, Zach and Noah / Mrs. Forken and your entire family –
I am praying for you and yours. I hope Tom is with John and Marty having wonderful drinks by the water.
Much love,
Karin
Chris, I am sad to hear of John’s passing. He had a great spirit and was such a genuinely nice guy. I’m glad of the years of our friendship, seems a long time ago since we have seen each other, this brings the memories right back. Thinking of you during this time.
I enjoyed working with John for 2 decades. One memory of John aptly fits the “ineptitude and glee” he seemed to show when skiing. We were at Snow Basin in Utah. The conditions that day were rather un Utah-like. In other words, more like the North East. I ventured out in to an un-groomed area to test the conditions, suspecting that they were inhospitable, and wishing to warn John ahead of time if they were. Actually, the snow had chinks of ice and snow that made the area almost impossible to ski, let alone enjoy. I turned around to warn John. But as I started waving my arms, low and behold, John was already gleefully and not so gracefully entering the “mine-field” at a speed that I knew right away could not end well. I watched, hoping that nothing would end up broken once the inevitable happened, which was nearly instantaneous. Fortunately, John, seemingly uninjured, dusted himself off after getting up, and moved on. I remain impressed by it all to this day.
Chris, Beth, Doug and family,
You are in our thoughts and prayers. We love you and are here for anything you need.
“Can you come over here for a minute?” Having worked for JJF nearly 11 years, I knew whether or not it would truly be just a minute vs. twenty minutes. I can’t put into words nor say enough about him and how impactful he was for me personally. John always had my back and was so loyal to his team. When we would take our canal walk breaks, he would make sure to swing by my office and say hey are you coming?
JJF was always truly on the cutting edge with the latest tech. I remember distinctly how adamant he was in a meeting we had with respect to exploring LinkedIn and Facebook way before it hit critical mass. JJF was absolutely hilarious to interact with at times and had such an incredible sense of humor. He is one of the most genuine individuals I have ever had the experience of knowing. Chris – Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this most difficult time. John will truly be missed by so many. Godspeed.
We are so sad to hear of John’s passing. He was a constant presence in our lives for decades. He advised my late father for many years, then my stepmother as well as my sisters and ourselves up until his retirement. We became friends and always looked forward to his visits. May he rest in peace.