Al Forsythe Obituary, Death Cause – We were shocked to learn of the demise of Al Forsythe, who had previously served on the City Council. His tenure in Mesquite’s public service spanned three decades, during which he held positions such as Planning and Zoning Commission Commissioner and, later, Parks and Recreation/Tree Board Commissioner. In 2008, Mr. Forsythe won the election to serve as the City Council representative for Place 2. He served until 2015.
During the time that he was a member of the Council, Mr. Forsythe also served on a number of other boards that were appointed by the Council. These boards include the Housing Finance Corporation, the Health Facilities Development Corporation, the Towne Centre TIF Board, the Ridge Ranch TIF Board, and the Lucas Farms TIF Board. He was the son of the late Aubrey and Geraldine “Gerry” (MacKay) Forsythe, who passed away before his birth on May 27, 1938 in Moncton, New Brunswick. Upon his retirement from the Canadian National Railway in 1993 after 33 years of service, Al kept himself active by working for Lawson’s and Manheim’s in Moncton.
After retiring, Al had a total of 33 years of service. He was a former president of the Moncton Kiwanis Club, a former president of the Moncton Curlers Association, a former president of the New Brunswick Curling Association, and a former president of the Canadian Curling Association. He was a member of the CNR Veterans Club and served as a past president of the Moncton Kiwanis Club. In 2008, he was inducted into the Executive Honour Roll of The Canadian Curling Hall of Fame.
Al gladly hung up his red Canadian Curling Association jacket in 2008 after five years of loyal service. This gave him more time to spend to Bonnie, his children and grandchildren, and the 2009 Ford World Curling Championship. The 2009 Championship was held in Moncton, and Al acted as Co-chair of the Ice and Rocks Committee during that time. Al’s contributions were critical to the success of the event.
Those who are left behind to cherish his memory include his common law spouse Bonnie Hamilton; daughters Colleen (Joerg) Soltermann of Cornwall, PE, Shawn (Hugh) Poirier of Stellarton, NS, and Kelly-Jo (Stephen) Melanson of Moncton; sons Tim (Lise) Forsythe of Moncton, Jeff Forsythe of Toronto, and Mark Forsythe of Charlottetown, PE; sister Lorna In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife Carol (Deroche) Forsythe in 2005; his sister Sharie Forsythe; and his brothers Bernie MacKay and John “Jackie” Forsythe. All of these individuals passed away before him.