Juanice (Cooke) Forrester

Betty Juanice Forrester, age 86, passed away on Sunday, June 30, 2019, in her home in Wasilla, Alaska. She was preceded in death by her husband, Don Forrester; her sons, Larry and Stephen Forrester; and her grandson, Zachary Streepy. She is survived by her three children, Bryce Forrester and his wife, Judy, Jody Streepy, and Garry Forrester and his wife, Jean; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Juanice was born Wednesday, August 24, 1932, in the small East Texas town of Newton.  Her parents were James Fulton Cooke and Opal Pauline Cooke.  She had three siblings, Jim Cooke, Wanda Poe, and Roger Cooke.

In 1937, Juanice arrived in New Mexico with her parents where they lived in the Jemez Mountains near Redondo and Jemez Springs.  Her father was a logger and truck driver for many years. While growing up, she and her family spent the majority of their time in New Mexico, but they also lived in Texas and Arizona.   Juanice married her husband, Don, in 1957, and they were married for 56 years prior to his passing in November of 2013.The Forresters relocated their family to El Paso shortly after their marriage and lived in that area the majority of the time until relocating to Dripping Springs, Texas in the early 1990’s. Juanice and her husband eventually moved back to Albuquerque when they retired to be close to family and many lifelong friends.  She moved to Alaska in 2014 to join other members of her family and resided there until she went to be with the Lord.  She was an accomplished professional and served as an executive secretary until she retired from the El Paso Natural Gas Company after 20+ years of service.  Music was always a big part of her life and Juanice thoroughly enjoyed being able to sing gospel music with her family every chance the opportunity presented – some of her most cherished memories are the times spent singing duets with her husband in the Baptist churches they attended through the years.  She enjoyed traveling when the opportunity presented itself, and that was reflected in her much-cherished teacup collection.  Juanice was much loved by all who knew her and went by the nickname of “Neece” (pronounced knee-see) to her husband and many friends and family members.  Her faith in God meant so much to her…she loved her Lord, her family, and her church family.  She served her Lord and trusted Him completely.

Memorial Service will be on, Monday, August 5, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. at FRENCH-University. Interment will be at the Santa Fe National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to your church or your favorite charity.