Roll Call Tribute

Boxwell Brothers Funeral Home obituary
2800 Paramount Blvd.
Amarillo, TX 79109
806-355-8156

Carroll Mack Forrester – January 27, 2017

Carroll Mack Forrester, 83, passed away on Friday, January 27, 2017, surrounded by his three sons. There are many words that can be used to describe Carroll Mack – happy, knowledgeable, compassionate, committed, fun loving, an enthusiastic Aggie, a little quirky, but one of his sons summed him up best as a ”good and decent man”. Carroll was committed to God, his family and his community and he greeted each day with a very positive attitude and an inquisitive mind.

Carroll Mack was born in Amarillo on June 15, 1933, the son of Mack and Arla Renner Forrester. He was the oldest of four brothers and resided in Amarillo throughout his life. He was active in the family businesses including the retail truck business and farming and ranching interests with his father, mother and later his brothers and sons. He graduated from Amarillo High School in 1951 and then attended the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas (now Texas A&M University) where he graduated in 1954. Carroll stayed in close touch with many of his high school and college classmates throughout his life and often served on reunion committees throughout the years. He was honored to be a member of the Corps of Cadets at A&M.

Carroll married Juana Ree Owens in the Chapel of Polk Street United Methodist Church on June 7, 1958 and they celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary before Juana Ree’s death in April of 2015. Carroll and Juana Ree had three sons. There was always a great deal of activity going on in their home with sports, paper routes, Boy Scouts and other activities involving “the boys.” Carroll was also a wonderful grandfather to his eight grandchildren. He was knowledgeable about many subjects from science to literature and loved engaging in discussions with his grandchildren about their work or college studies. He enjoyed giving his grandchildren the money “scratch pads” from Amarillo National Bank for their birthdays and Christmas.

One of Carroll Mack’s greatest loves was his photography. He was a very accomplished photographer and chronicled thousands of weddings, birthday parties, charitable events, farming activities, vacations and everyday life events from behind the lens of his camera. Many of his photos were published in periodicals in Amarillo and beyond. His family often laughed because Carroll would photograph every detail of the event down to the food so that the memories were complete. He always put the pictures in albums and gave them to his subjects, rarely charging for his time or effort. He was recognized with the Golden Nail award in 2004 for his commitment to the community through his photography.

Carroll was very committed to serving God. He was a Bible scholar and engaged happily in discussions around lessons from the Bible. He was active throughout his life at Polk Street United Methodist Church where he and Juana Ree were involved in the Life Two-Gether Sunday School class for more than 50 years. There they formed lifelong friendships. Carroll loved attending the Sunday dinners held by the Sunday School class and did that until the end of his life. Additionally, he was involved in a Saturday morning men’s Bible Study which he rarely missed. Some of his dearest friends were men in this Bible Study. He was always prepared for his Bible Study and shared deep insights about faith with his friends.

Carroll Mack was very active in the Amarillo community. He loved serving as a substitute teacher in the Amarillo Independent School District where the children knew and loved him. He also served as a Regent of Amarillo College from 1998 to 2015 where he participated in the development of curriculum and programs at Amarillo College. He never missed a graduation or significant event at the College. Carroll also served on the board of the Amarillo Senior Citizens Association where he was actively engaged in creating the fiscal security of the organization. Carroll served on the Board of the Llano Cemetery and helped establish the cemetery as a viable organization for many years to come. He knew and helped many people in the Amarillo community and will be sorely missed. He served the community out of commitment to his Christian principles and his love of people, not seeking recognition or reward.

Carroll was preceded in death by his wife, Juana Ree, his parents, and two of his brothers, Richard and Kenneth Forrester. He is survived by his three sons, Mack (and wife Billie) Forrester of Dallas, Matthew (and wife Sally) Forrester of Amarillo and Miles Forrester of Amarillo, eight grandchildren, his brother, Robert (and wife Carol) of Amarillo, his sisters-in-law, Judy Forrester of Amarillo and Phoebe Sackett of Orinda, CA, and numerous nieces and nephews. The family would also like to thank Mrs. Teri Roberts for her comforting and capable care of both Carroll Mack and Juana Ree over the past several years.

A Memorial Service will be held in the Sanctuary of Polk Street United Methodist Church on Wednesday, February 1, 2017, at 11:00 am. A private burial will be held at Llano Cemetery preceding the Memorial Service. The family will receive family and friends at the Boxwell Brothers Funeral Home on Tuesday, January 31, 2017, from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to the Mack and Arla Forrester Scholarship Fund at Amarillo College, Polk Street United Methodist Church or the charity of your choice.