Forrest "Jim" Boone Jr.

With the dawn of each new day we all are faced with how we will use the collection of moments we are given, and it is clear that Forrest Jim Boone used his time to deeply love those around him. A more devoted husband and nurturing father would be hard to find as it was easy to see that the sun rose and set with the beautiful women the Lord gave him to love. Although the way was not always easy for Jim, he was accompanied by an unwavering faith that is his lasting legacy. Life will never be the same without Jim here, but the lives of those within his reach will be forever changed because of his tender touch. The 1920s was a decade nestled between the hardship of war with WWI in the decade prior and the trials of the Great Depression during the decade that followed. We witnessed growth in both the business and industrial sectors and celebrated the explosion of flight with the successes of Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart. It was during this unprecedented time that a young couple from Hart, Michigan, was anxiously awaiting the birth of their baby. Forrest James was welcomed into the arms of his parents, Forrest and Mary (Hanks) Boone, Sr., in the family home on May 21,1925. Jim, as he was most often known, was the oldest of five children in his family including his siblings, Tim, Delores, Jerry, and Coralee. His father worked at the Muskegon paper mill and was proud to say that his fathers great-uncle was Daniel Boone. Jims mother was a schoolteacher who later cleaned the paper mill. Family life was an important part of young Jims upbringing. He spent much of his time with his siblings whether they were ice skating, swimming the channel, or just hanging around. The Boones moved to Muskegon while Jim was quite young, and he also dug his fathers basement as a young boy. There were so many things that kept Jim busy while he was growing up. He attended Bunker School, but left during his eighth grade year to find work as these were the days of the depression. Jim loved baseball and cars, and at times he got into a bit of mischief such as the time he turned the Model A on its side while going around a corner too fast. He always said that his father had a tendency to be a bit on the grouchy side - the grouchy sure did come out once he caught wind of Jims escapade with the car! Life was forever changed for Jim when he went ice skating with his best friend Owen one cold, wintry day. It was there that he met the young woman who would forever hold the key to his heart. Her name was Kathryn Barona and after dating for a time, the couple found themselves deeply in love. With a desire to build a life together, they married on September 8,1943, in Muskegon. Jim answered the call to serve during WWII. He was in the Navy and boarded the USS Cooper (DD-695) on December 2 when she sailed with Allen M. Sumner (DD-692) and Moale (DD-693) to destroy ships in Japanese-held Ormoc Bay. Once there, the ships engaged two small enemy destroyers and numerous small craft. Shortly after midnight on December 3, 1944, the Cooper was torpedoed by the Japanese destroyer Take. Reports state that she suffered an explosion on her starboard side, then it broke in two, and sank within a minute. The presence of enemy forces prevented the rescue of survivors until about 2:00 that afternoon when "Black Cat" airplanes were able to save 168 of Cooper's crew. Jim had been in the water for about 18 hours before he was rescued. Sadly, there were 191 crew who were lost at sea that day. Upon his discharge, Jim returned home to his bride. Together they were blessed with four beautiful daughters, Jeri, Char, Sandee, and Jamie. Jim quickly mastered being a father and was very demonstrative in his love for his girls, leaving no doubt that they were his pride and joy. He treasured spending time with his family including many of their favorite times that were spent boating on the lake. Jim taught his girls how to fish and took his family to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming where they fished almost the entire time. The Boone family had countless adventures together with Jim as the director including vacations, camping trips, and ice skating on the rink he made outside during the winter. The darkness of winter never limited their fun either as they simply took lamps outside! Saturday mornings often included a big breakfast and Jim waking his girls with, Get up little hons. In order to support his family Jim worked at Bennet Pump. He was a machinist there for 35 years before retiring in 1984. As a protective father, it was not uncommon for Jim to chase away the young men who came to date his daughters. He was so thankful when they finally did marry, however, as they gave Jim the greatest gift - grandchildren! He loved attending his grandchildrens school activities and spending time with them as often as he could. The holidays were times Jim loved as the family all gathered together, laughing and loving each other. Although Jims main focus was always on his family, he did find great reward in other interests as well. He had a personal faith and was a member of Fellowship Reformed Church. Throughout his life he always loved the Lords Prayer. Jim liked doing carpentry work and even built a cabin in Baldwin. He enjoyed being social and was a member of V.F.W. Post #446, the Model A Club, and a coin club. After he retired he and Kathryn liked spending winters in Florida. All who knew Forrest Boone would agree that he brought so much joy to the world around him. His girls always smile when they reflect on times spent with their father as he was an integral part of their lives through his gentle and unwavering love. Jim will be deeply missed. Forrest Boone died on Sunday, July 31, 2011. Jims family includes his daughters, Jeri (Fred) Dyer of Holton, Char Boone of FL, Sandee (Darrel) Arnouts of Fruitport, Jamie (Jim) Brewer of Muskegon; grandchildren, Jim DeStager, MeChelle (Rob) Rodomski, Sean Dodge, Kelly Dyer, Gabriel Hartman, Dustin (Keiko) Brewer & Amanda (Chris) Mascarro; 6 great-grandchildren; 2 great-great-grandchildren; brothers, Tim (Gloria) Boone of Pentwater, Jerry (Tootie) Boone of Muskegon; brothers-in-law, Ron Foster & Ed Kessler; special friend, Louise Stulp; many nieces, nephews, cousins and his loving, caring staff at DaySpring. Jim was preceded in death by parents; wife, Kathryn in 1995; granddaughter, Danielle Boone Hartman; sisters, Delores Foster & Corky Kessler. Services will be held on Friday, August 5, 2011, 11:00 a.m. at Fellowship Reformed Church with Pastor Jerry Worrel officiating and Military Honors under the Auspices of the VFW William J Beal Post 446. Interment at Sunrise Memorial Gardens. Visit will be held on Thursday, 6-8 p.m. at Clock Life Story Funeral Home - Muskegon. MEMORIAL: Fellowship Reformed Church. Please visit www.lifestorynet.com to leave a memory.