Spc. Eric Forbis

Services for Spc. R. R. Eric "Bear" Forbis, 24, Whitehouse, are scheduled for 1:00 p.m., Friday, Feb. 17, 2006, at Central Baptist Church with Rev. Kim Beckham and Rev. Ron Byrd officiating. Burial will be in Tyler Memorial Park under direction of Stewart Family Funeral Home. Mr. Forbis died in a car accident Friday, Feb. 13, 2006. Eric was born to Guy and Deborah Forbis on Dec. 30, 1981. He was a man of many names, depending on how you knew him. Given the nickname "Bear" as a baby, this is how all his oldest friends, family and church family knew him ? and still called him. In school, he was called "Eric", and friends met in his teen and young adult years knew him by that name as well. Medically he was called Raymond until corrected and militarily he was just "Forbis". Regardless of what name he was known by, the person inside was the same. He loved life! He had a wonderful sense of humor - sarcastic most of the time - but always funny. He liked nothing better than to make people laugh, either by a joke, a story or just outrageous behavior. It was nothing for him to get together with friends and go to Wal-Mart in the middle of the night and race shopping carts through the aisles, or dress up as ALF and go out and meet people and pose for photographs. He loved video games and college football and movies - lots of movies - he had a collection of over 400 and could recite lines from all of them and explain their plots to you as well. If you ever met Bear one thing was certain. You would be the recipient of a big "Bear" hug! He loved giving hugs, whether you were a friend, relative, or his Sergeant. At age 4, he was diagnosed with leukemia, fighting many complications - even to the point where the doctors told his parents that he was going to die - but he refused to. He recovered completely, and never looked back. He talked about entering the Army during his senior year of high school, but found that with his medical history it would be very difficult so he decided that was not where God wanted him. However, after Sept. 11, he got angry and once again decided to pursue enlistment. It took months of work and much paperwork, including a medical waiver from the Surgeon General's office, but he got in. He went to Fort Sill, OK for basic training and then to Fort Bliss, TX for AIT to learn all about the Bradley Linebacker Fighting Vehicle he would drive. He was permanently stationed at Fort Hood, TX in 2003 and was deployed to Iraq in Operation Enduring Freedom II in March 2004. About six weeks after he arrived in Iraq he was part of a team of soldiers to undertake a rescue operation of some wounded soldiers under enemy fire. That earned him an Army Commendation Medal with "V" Device for Valor. He would earn another one before his tour of duty there was up. In August of 2004 a land mine exploded right in front of him, sending him to Germany for treatment, but he couldn't wait to get back to his unit and get back to work. That injury earned him a Purple Heart. He returned home in March of 2005 to his permanent duty station, Fort Hood. He was always very active in church and accepted Jesus Christ as his personal savior at a young age. He loved his Lord and desired to serve Him throughout his life. After his term of enlistment in the Army was over, he planned to go to TCU where he wanted to attend Seminary and become a Youth Pastor as well as getting a degree in education so he could also teach high school math. He was preceded in death by his sister, Sarah Forbis, grandparents, Raymond and Annie Hood, and Eric J. Forbis. Eric is survived by his loving family including his parents, Guy and Deborah Forbis of Whitehouse; brother, Adam Forbis of Whitehouse; grandmother, Melba Forbis of Center; aunts, Myra Brown and husband, Jim of Tyler, and Nelda Spears of Plano; uncle, John Hood and wife Jan of Tyler; numerous cousins and many friends. Pallbearers will be the Fort Hood Honor Guard. Honorary Pallbearers will be Andrew Bowers, Josh Byrd, Jordan Byrd, Aaron Lybrand, Eric Wilkerson, Nick Self, David Cox, and the soldiers of Alpha Battery 4th/5th ADA in Fort Hood. The family will receive friends from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Thursday at Stewart Family Funeral Home, 7525 Old Jacksonville Hwy., south Tyler 75703. Memorials in honor of Mr. Forbis may be made to Central Baptist Church, 6253 New Copeland Road, Tyler 75703.

Spc. Eric Forbis

February 17, 2006