William Bryan Forrester

Birth date: Sep 5, 1932 Death date: Jan 22, 2021

William (Bryan) Forrester – husband, father, preacher, teacher, counselor, painter, writer, storyteller and philosopher – passed away on January 22, 2021. Born in 1932 and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, his early years were full o Read Obituary

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Sara G. Chadwick

213w ago

Bryan was Assoc. Pastor at Northaven Methodist Church in Dallas, where my family sang in the choir (my mother), served on committes (both parents) and I became a leader and loyal member of MYF during my teenage years. At my mother''s request, he served as counselor, confidante, and surrogate father to me when just being that teenager was a burden and a struggle.

We talked about life, relationships, college plans, and whether Kip's hamburgers were still the best in North Dallas. His insight and wisdom got me through some very difficult experiences. And his ever-present wonderful sense of humor helped me laugh at myself and the absurdity of situations we both had to deal with.

One Sunday when he preached, I sat astounded to hear him quote me (not by name) on something we had talked about just the week before. For a young, insecure girl, that was just incredible! i was honored and deeply grateful for that acknowledgement, and told him so. His response was to say something like "brilliant remarks need to be heard by lots of people".

Sometimes I babysat for Lynn and Glenn when Bryan and their mother went out.. And some of those times, I would already have my hair in rollers when he came to our house for me. The rollers were metal orange juice cans...Bryan would ask "What radio station do you have playing on your head?" i would have been disappointed if he hadn't made some joke just about every time I was around him.

We kept in touch through the years. When I got engaged before my senior year at Texas Tech, I called him and said, "Bryan, will you marry me?" I could play his game, too! He graciously declined since he was already married. And then we talked Cox Chapel, Highland Park UMC, a date in June, and he cross-examined me about my fiancee. And of course, a flawless performance by WBF on my Big Day :)

He was ALWAYS there for me: encouragement, compliments on who I was and on my accomplishments. Stories relevant to my experiences, food for thought and heart-felt empathy for my disappointments. I have never known anyone else so generous with his friendship, his time and his genuine concern for others.

Today is his birthday...for many years, that was always my time to call him. Rest in Peace, dear Bryan. May God send His angels to surround you forever.

Sara G. Chadwick

Kevin Streufert

243w ago

Bryan, my father-in-law and very dear friend, was also my philosophy buddy. We met on a regular basis over a bottle of Scotch to talk about the meaning of our human existence, especially relative to our spiritual being. We speculated on the secret of happiness and what was most important to accomplish in this life while it was perceptually our foremost state of being. We wanted to better understand how, on a higher level, our individual beings related to one another as well as to nature and the universe. We hoped to find insight into the state and significance of our beings before and after this life. And ultimately, we wanted to explore the nature of God.

Bryan and I also wrote letters of philosophical and theological hypotheses to each other, often exchanging them at our sessions, and he bound a few dozen of them together for me as a gift. He also arranged for a beautiful binding of a philosophical book I wrote before we met, and I suspect it was that book that spurred his desire to philosophize with me over the last 30 years of our lives.

I will miss him dearly and cherish the time we had together, knowing that I will likely never meet another person with whom I could share such meaningful discussions and insights.

Godspeed, my dear friend. May you find the peace and serenity I know you were yearning for.

Peggy Hickey

243w ago

I knew Bryan and Doneita through the 8:45 am service at First United Methodist Church Dallas. Together, they were the sweetest people on the planet! With Covid closing down church for a year now, it had been a long while since I last saw them. Bryan always had a kind word and a friendly smile for everyone. The world was always a better place because of him. Their "pew" in church will seem terribly empty now. God Bless!
- Peggy Hickey

Gerry And Mary Preston

244w ago

Bryan and Doneita often traveled with us. We went to Connecticut, Mississippi, Louisiana among other places. If there was a nearby casino, we couldn't resist the calling. Doneita would play the nickel games with frogs and fish etc. When she won a small jackpot, she would empty the machine and instruct Bryan to take the coins to the cashier to get her money. This resulted in multiple trips for Bryan back and forth to the cashier. I was a Human Resources Executive at that time. One morning in the mail, a letter from Bryan appeared. I opened it to find a detailed Job Description complete with the duties, education and experience needed to fill the position of "Nickel Runner."
The office employees could hear me laughing all the way down the hall. Oh, how we miss that sense of humor. Mary and Gerry Preston

Sara G. Chadwick

213w ago

Today is his birthday...for many years, that was always my time to call him. Rest in Peace, dear Bryan. May God send His angels to surround you forever.

Sara G. Chadwick

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