John H. Forster

John Hausser Forster, 82, of Southington entered into eternal peace on Tuesday, January 30, 2024.  Born January 22, 1942, in Hartford; the son of the late Frank and Irene (Detweiler) Forster. During his school years he attended the Blue Hills Baptist Church and was very active in their youth group program. As an adult, he joined and became an active member of Plantsville Congregational Church for over 50 years, serving on various boards and committees such as Deacons, Trustees, Christian Education, Christian Action, Fair Committee, Scholarship Committee and Church Audit Team.

John graduated from Bloomfield High School in 1960. He donated his letter sweater, which he earned playing soccer, back to the high school to be placed in a Memorial Trophy Case. His graduating class was unique and special as they had class reunions every five years and asked John to be emcee at each one. After high school, he attended the Hartford Institute of Accounting and graduated in 1962 with a certificate in accounting. He also joined the Connecticut Air National Guard and served for six years. He began as a Cost Accountant at Peck, Stow & Wilcox in Southington and progressed his career as Accounting Manager and Controller for various manufacturing companies in the greater Hartford and Naugatuck River Valley regions, including Risdon, Sealectro, Mark Industries and Rexam. At Rexam, he also had opportunities to work in the Sales and Purchasing departments. He retired in 2010.

He had many interests including coin collecting, woodworking, gardening, golf, playing games – especially setback, and fixing things; John could “fix” just about anything. He also enjoyed traveling to Europe and to the Caribbean Islands. He was a people person – friendly, kind, good sense of humor, helpful, always complimentary and always a gentleman. John enjoyed raising his children and coaching them in youth sports and building lifelong friendships through community activities.

John is survived by his wife, Karen (Barnes) of Southington, former wife, Janyce (Edwards) Forster of Ft. Lauderdale, FL, his son, Daniel (Tina) Forster of McClure, OH and daughter Kimberly Thompson of Southington, CT.  He is also survived by five grandchildren; Lauran (Dionté Darrington) Forster, Rebekka (Frank) Welter, Julia (Justin) Bois, Wes Thompson and Garrett Thompson, nephew Christopher (Heidi) Forster, niece Deborah (Paul) Houman, eight great-grandchildren and numerous cousins.

He was predeceased by three brothers, William, Frank Jr., and Alfred and by a granddaughter, Heather Forster.

The family wishes to recognize and thank oncologist, Dr. Jeffrey Kamradt and his team at Hartford Hospital for all the treatments, care, support and love given to John during the last ten years. Memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society via this link:

Donate Today | The American Cancer Society

A memorial service will be held at 11a.m. on Saturday, February 17, 2024 at Plantsville Congregational Church, located at 109 Church St., Plantsville, CT. The family will receive friends at a reception following the service in the fellowship hall.

Plantsville Funeral Home has been entrusted with handling the arrangements. For online condolences and directions, please visit www.plantsvillefuneralhome.com