Forrest Doucette

Forrest Henry Doucette, age 85, resident of Edinboro, PA, passed away after a brief illness on Tuesday, May 18, 2010. Forrest, a retired Captain, U.S. Navy S.C., was born in Edinboro, Pennsylvania, 2 February 1925, son of the late Aime Henri and Edith Izard Doucette.
His elementary education was in the State Normal School Training School followed by Junior and Senior High School in Edinboro, graduating in 1942. After  one semester at Gannon College (the first freshman class) and two semesters at Edinboro, he entered the U.S. Navy as an officer candidate and was commissioned as Ensign at Northwestern University Midshipman=92s School in November 1944. He served in the Pacific theater until June 1946 and was transferred to inactive Reserve Status. After completing his BS degree in Education at Edinboro State Teachers College, he re-entered as an Ensign, Supply Corp, U.S. Navy. His Naval career of 31 years included duty in both the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets as Disbursing Officer on the USS Roanoke CL 145, as Supply Officer on the Destroyer Allen M. Sumner DD 692and the Heavy Cruiser USS Columbus CA 74. His shore tours in the US were varied in Mechanicsburg, PA, Washington, D.C., Oakland, CA, Vallejo, CA and Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard. He was promoted through the Officer Corps until his retirement as a Captain, (SC) US Navy in March 1974 at the Defense Supply Agency where he served as Deputy Commander for Plans, Policy and Systems. He was a Naval Logistics specialist and created many automated data systems which were implemented in both Fleets.
He was married to the late and former Doris Foy of Erie who is the mother of his three daughters. Later, he married the former Violet Sorensen Stotler of Vienna, VA, who preceded him in death in 1993.
Captain Doucette is survived by his wife Elizabeth Willrich Stafford Doucette of Edinboro, PA, his three daughters, Sandra (Skip) Bartlett of Antioch, CA, Denise (Jimmy) Carpenter of Vallejo, CA and Sheree (Jim) Lomax, two grandsons, Justin Doucette Lomax, Sean (Carrie) Lomax, and one great-grandson, Evan Grant Lomax of Concord, CA; three brothers, Ronald F. (Sandy) Doucette of Port Murray, NJ, Edward I. Doucette of York, PA, and Robert L. (Julia) Doucette of Millville, PA., three sisters, Aimee E. (Richard) Rodak of Edinboro, PA and Lakeland, FL, Eleonora L. Turnage of Sandia, TX, and Edith G. (William) Raun of Edinboro, PA.
Captain Doucette was a member of The Retired Officers Association, the Navy Mutual Aid Association, and the Edinboro Area Historical Society. In 2002, he acquired and donated the “Doucette House” to the Society as their permanent headquarters and museum.
Services will be held at the Glunt Funeral Home in Edinboro and internment in the Edinboro Cemetery. Viewing will be on Friday, May 21 from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9.   Funeral services will at 11:00 on Saturday, May 22, 2010.
Memorials can be made as contributons to the Edinboro Area Historial Society’s Capital Fund for the Doucette House, 126 Water Street, Box 18, Edinboro, PA, 16412 or to the Aime H. Doucette Memorial Scholarship at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania.

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