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Forest Hummel, Jr.

October 2, 1977 - July 20, 2016
Kalamazoo, MI

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Service

Saturday, July 30, 2016
11:00 AM EDT
Betzler Life Story Funeral Homes
Kalamazoo Location
6080 Stadium Drive
Kalamazoo, MI 49009
(269) 375-2900

Followed by a luncheon in the Life Story Center.

Driving Directions

Contributions


At the family's request memorial contributions are to be made to those listed below. Please forward payment directly to the memorial of your choice.

Gryphon Place
3245 South 8th Street
Kalamazoo, MI 49009
Web Site

Flowers


Below is the contact information for a florist recommended by the funeral home.

Ambati
1830 S. Westnedge
Kalamazoo, MI 49008
(269) 349-4961
Driving Directions
Web Site

Life Story / Obituary


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Forest Hummel Jr. was a proud father, a caring son and a stand up guy to his fiance, Chatuan. He lived his life fully by his generosity and acceptance of all people. Forest cherished his time with his family and friends and was well liked by all who knew him. His warm sense of humor and fun loving personality will be deeply missed.

The 1970’s have been characterized by bell bottom jeans and the rise of disco music. By 1977, Jimmy Carter was elected President, the Bee Gees were hitting the charts, the World Trade Center was completed, and the first Apple computer was sold. On a mild Sunday in October of that same year, a newborn baby boy, Forest was brought into the world by his mother, Polly. Forest was immediately nicknamed, “Weed” by the nursing staff because of his remarkable length of 24.5 inches! His birth brought great joy to his young mother’s life.

Growing up in Lawton, Forest and his mother shared the home of his grandparents who helped to raise him. Forest’s father was not an active part in his life and his grandfather, Clarence was proud to be a father figure to him over the years. As a young boy, Forest was known as a little daredevil. He loved to help out in the garden, and as he matured his responsibilities often included working on the family home as well as tinkering with his cars and motorcycles. When he wasn’t out riding dirt bikes, he loved to go fishing with his mother, Polly. The two of them spent many warm summer days on inland lakes near Lawton. Forest attended local schools and graduated from Lawton High School. He was known as being shy until he got to know people. Shortly after graduation, he eagerly began work in the concrete business where he remained for many years. Most recently, he worked with Dimplex Thermal Solutions where he was a Line Team Leader. His staff knew he was a die hard fan of Metal music, especially the band Slayer. Once, when another employee turned on some rap music, Forest melted the radio! Forest’s hard work ethic and great sense of humor earned him the respect of many of his co-workers.

A loyal fan of the Detroit Lions, Forest enjoyed a good football game! When he wasn’t grieving another Lions’ loss, he relished in watching NASCAR races, attending car shows or the drag way. He and Chatuan often teased one another over races as she is a Jimmy Johnson fan while Forest’s heart was fond of Dale Earnhardt Jr. The two of them would often tease each other as they were known to be very competitive with one another. He was a Chevy guy who was content with a “pork chop in a can” for his dinner; a Budweiser beer! A lover of the backyard grill, he also loved his bacon, turkey and chicken and dumplings! Above all else, Forest had one true love and that was his time spent with his daughters. Although he didn’t have as much time with Danielle as he had wished, he was proud of her all the same. Over the years, he loved to share his love of gardening with his eight year old daughter, Londyn, often pulling weeds or planting his favorites, tomatoes and Jalapeno peppers. Forest was well known among his peers as having an iron stomach. When it came to peppers, the hotter the better! When he and Londyn weren’t gardening, he spent time coloring with her or reading books aloud. A few of their favorite places to visit together were the zoo, air shows and movies!

Never one to remain idle, he was always working on something. He would often offer his time and support to help family members and friends with house projects and there never seemed to be anything he couldn’t fix or accomplish. To relax, he enjoyed playing video games such as Gears of War and Call of Duty with his fiancé, Chatuan. He also loved thumbing through car and Jeep magazines. Forest will be remembered for his larger than life personality when it came to his physical physique! Born with some Cherokee in his background, he was known for sporting a dark summer tan. Standing at 6’2 with those same long legs since birth, he would often joke that when he was at the beach he didn’t want to make people feel weird because of his stealth body! Described as the type of person who would give the shirt off his own back for a friend or someone in need, Forest will forever be remembered for his warm spirit, good heart and genuine personality. Sadly, he passed away and his rich legacy will be in the hearts and minds of all who knew and loved him.

Forest A. Hummel Jr. age 38, died unexpectedly on July 20, 2016 in Ann Arbor. Forest was born October 2, 1977, in Kalamazoo. He worked as a Line Team Lead at Dimplex Thermal Solutions. Family members include his fiancé’, Chatuan Johnson; two daughters: Danielle Pesch (age 20) and Londyn Hummel (age 8); mother, Polly Baldwin; in-laws, Tonda and John St. Clair; brothers-in-law: Durran and Matthew Johnson and many aunts, uncles and cousins. Cremation will take place. Services will be held Saturday 11:00 AM at the Life Story Funeral Home, Betzler-Kalamazoo, 6080 Stadium Drive; 375-2900 followed by a luncheon in the Life Story Center. Please visit Forest’s personal web page at www.lifestorynet.com, where you can archive a favorite memory or photo and sign his online guestbook before coming to the funeral home. Memorial donations may be made to Gryphon Place.

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