Richard Baker Forrest

Richard Baker Forrest, 91, of Lake Tomahawk, Poinciana Fla., and Glen Ellyn, Ill. Beloved husband of the late Joyce Forrest. Beloved father of Gail Forrest, Stephen Forrest and Brian Forrest. Adored grandfather of Matt (Katie) Forrest, Liz Forrest (Matt Becker), Shane (Jennifer Forrest) and Justin (Maeve) Forrest. Great-grandfather of Parker and Jordan Forrest, Clara/Nora Forrest and Louis Becker; and more than a few furry loved ones. Son of the late William and Ruth Forrest. Brother of Nancy Gough and the late William Sprague.

Richard “Dick” Forrest passed away peacefully “from plain ole old age” — as he would say — on July 9, a week shy of his 92nd birthday. He was a true renaissance man beloved by his family, who had a fascinating life with many interests fueled by his numerous talents.

Dick grew up in Elmhurst, Ill. where he delighted in being a prankster, and after graduating from Coe College took that sense of adventure to the USAF where he flew T-33 fighters out of Texas. He was always proud of his service to our country. After a stint there he followed in his father’s footsteps into advertising, working for two decades for Leo Burnett where he was a “creative” who was integral in teaming with others to create icons like the Keebler elves, upgrading the image of the Green Giant, and many others. He regaled us with stories of how he brainstormed the Pillsbury Doughboy on a cocktail napkin during a martini-fueled lunch. It was one of his proudest moments.

Midcareer he decided to become an entrepreneur, retired from advertising and bought a True Value lumberyard in his beloved Wisconsin Northwoods (Lake Tomahawk). He was a tough task master and a hard worker who instantly made the business a success, and it is still in existence over five decades later: a phenomenal track record for a family run retail operation. Much of the credit for this great story goes to his awesome sons Steve and Brian, to whom he passed the businesses and to this day are respected businessmen in their own right.

Upon retirement Dick turned himself into a very talented, prolific and happy painter (Bob Ross would be proud). His home has hundreds of his works which attest to this extraordinary ability and to his continued dedication to perfecting a craft.

In addition to his many accomplishments Dick was known for his direct, “no BS” approach, his smarts, and his sense of humor (ok, lots of bad jokes); and he never lost a fight to the pizza guy. While always appearing to be the tough guy, visible to no one else he would write checks — every month — to dozens of charities he cared about.

He will be dearly missed.

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