Albert F. Forthe

Albert F. Forthe succumbed to leukemia on February 9, 2020. He was born in Valdosta in March 25, 1939 to the late Felton and Lydia Mae (Webb) Forthe. He graduated from Valdosta High School in 1957 and held the Valdosta Wildcats in a special place in his heart throughout his life. He was so touched and encouraged by the well wishes and prayers he received from The Wildcat Nation and the members of the Valdosta Touchdown Club. Your Facebook posts buoyed him through the endless days of chemo treatments. Thank you.
An Air Force veteran, who spent part of his enlistment attending Yale University for language training, Albert also enjoyed a challenging and rewarding 45 years as a civilian with the Department of Defense, in foreign and stateside locations. He retired briefly and then served another three years in support of the CIA.
Albert is survived by his wife of 30 years, Carleen Abend; his daughter and son-in-law Laura and Bush Locknane; his granddaughter Sheri Lynn Shelton; aunt Lyndal Webb; and numerous cousins. He also leaves behind many lifelong friends, but especially Bob King who he met when they were both about 19 and serving in the military. Al’s last conversation of any length was with Bob and they debated, evaluated, and speculated over the future of their much loved BALTIMORE Orioles.
When he retired in 2005, he returned to Valdosta and Al became an active supporter of the Valdosta Wildcats Football Team. He enjoyed cooking for them, but he derived special pleasure from watching these boys become confident young men. He never returned from an event with these young men and their coaches without at least one story about a success in the classroom or a spectacular new skill on the field.
Because he was blessed with nearly 81 years of life, most of Al’s family departed years ago. In addition to his parents, his uncle T. Lavelle Webb, his aunt Frances (Webb), his uncle Olin Simpson, and his uncle Walston Webb have all passed.
According to his wishes, Albert will be cremated and a private family service will be held at a later date. Memorials may be made to the Feed the Cats Program c/o Valdosta Wildcats Touchdown Club, P.O. Box 794, Valdosta, GA 31603. Condolences to the family may be expressed online at www.McLaneCares.com. Martin McLane Funeral Home.