Thomas Charles Forth's Obituary
The soul of Thomas C. Forth of Centerville, Iowa left this earth to be with his Lord on Friday, June 5, 2015.
Thomas was born in Syracuse, New York on March 8, 1929, the son of Charles and Millicent (Ball) Forth. He grew up in the rural hamlet of Watervale in southern Onondaga County, New York. He attended a one room school house in Watervale and then Manlius High School. He left school to join the U.S. Navy in the final days of World War II, serving on two destroyers in the Atlantic Ocean as a radioman. After military service he returned to Watervale and graduated from Fabius Central High School.
He served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean conflict as a high speed radio operator in Tokyo, Japan. During his Air Force service, he completed five years of college, graduating from California State University at Sacramento with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management. During the Vietnam War, he completed 102 missions over Vietnam. During his military service, he logged some 7,000 flying hours. He was awarded the customary campaign medals from each war; Good Conduct Medal and the Air Medal with oak leaf cluster (denoting second award).
Upon retirement from the U.S. Air Force he was employed by Weaver Equipment Company as a comptroller. After retirement from Weaver Equipment Company, he relocated to Centerville, Iowa. During this period, he served over twelve years as a member of the Centerville Airport Commission.
Thomas was preceded in death by his parents, Charles & Millicent (Ball) Forth; and his brother, Robert (Marion Delihl).
He is survived by his wife, Beverly; his son, Kermit Charles (Cynthia); his daughter, Millicent Jean (Randy); and his son, Jeffery Thomas (Elizabeth); a brother, Roderick (Carol) Forth; several nieces and nephews; 7 grandchildren; and 11 great grandchildren.
Family will greet friends from 2-4 PM, Sunday, June 7, 2015 at the First United Methodist Church in Centerville. Funeral services will be held at 2 PM, Thursday, June 11, 2015 at the Newell-Fay Funeral Chapel in Manlius, New York. A visitation will take place prior to the service from 1-2 PM on Thursday at the Newell-Fay Funeral Chapel. Interment with military rites will follow in the Watervale Cemetery, Watervale, New York. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made out to either HCI Care Services (Iowa) or to the Watervale Cemetery in New York and may be mailed to Lange Funeral Home and Crematory, 1900 S. 18th St., Centerville, Iowa, 52544. Condolences may be shared online at www.langefh.com.
Visitation
June 07, 2015 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
First United Methodist Church North Main St., off the Centerville Square Centerville, IA (641) 856-3213
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