Byron Bobby Forrester

Funeral service for Byron B. Forrester will be held 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, May 28, 2014 at Gregory Baptist Church. Pastor Denny Rogers will officiate. Burial will follow at Highland Cemetery under the direction of the Inola Funeral Home & Crematory.

Byron passed away Saturday, May 24, 2014 at the age of 94.

The son of Virgil and Maggie Leonard Forrester was born June 18, 1919 in Marionville, Missouri. Marionville was home until about the age of 12 when his family moved to Branson. While they were moving, his father was killed in an automobile accident. As Byron would say, “Necessity is the best teacher.” Thus at the age of 13, he began building houses to help support his family. At the age of 15, he enlisted in the Civilian Conservation Corps which allowed him to move around the country doing conservation work such as planting trees in the Mark Twain National Forest. After a few years, while working around Hilda, Missouri, he met Myrtle Williams. They married June 22, 1940 in Rueter, Missouri. They made their home in Forsyth and started their family. However, with World War II lingering on, Byron joined the U.S. Navy on August 15, 1944. Upon his discharge, Byron returned home to Missouri. He began working for a company building dams. Over the next several years, he worked on big projects such as, Table Rock Dam in Missouri, the Dalles Dam in Oregon, and several others. Eventually, he came to Tulsa, Oklahoma to build the Lake Keystone Dam. Shortly after arriving in Tulsa he decided he was tired of building dams and began building homes in the Tulsa area. In the mid 1980's, he moved to his residence in Inola. In his spare time, he loved fishing and hunting, but his favorite thing was his family. Of all the wonderful memories he shared, family time at the cabin in Jay was the top of the list.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Virgil and Maggie Forrester, wife, Myrtle Forrester; son, Jerry L. Forrester, and daughter, Judy K. Forrester.

Survivors include his son, Jim Forrester and wife Etta Mae of Inola; daughter, Myrna J. Dawson and husband Danny of Beggs; grandchildren, Tammy Beal and husband Mike of Inola, Teresa Click and husband Duane of Inola, Jeff Forrester and wife Ginger of Inola, Steven Forrester and wife Marsha of College Station, TX, Rob Forrester and wife Tori of Siloam Springs, AR, Brian Forrester and wife Danielle of Republic, MO, Dr. Cari McDonald DVM of Jenks, Keith McDonald and wife Shannon of Abilene, TX, Anthony Dawson of Mounds, Mark Dawson and wife Karri of Beggs, and Glenn Dawson of Beggs and great-grandchildren, Dusin, Clayton, and Camden Dawson, Michaelynne and Sheldon Beal, Lauran and Brandon Click, Tiffany, Katie, Sabrina, and Kendra Forrester, Aaron, Samantha, Michael and Andrew Forrester, and DeLaney, Bethany, and Kaeleen McDonald.