Obituary of Forrest Duane Dohlin

Forrest Duane Dohlin, 84, died on March 26, 2015 in St. Luke's Hospice. Born in La Crosse, Wis., on Nov. 12, 1930, he was the only child of Forrest and Jarla Dohlin. He lived in various places in the Midwest, graduating from Bellevue High School as valedictorian in 1948. He then moved to Minneapolis, where he attended the University of Minnesota, and graduated with a Masters in Mechanical Engineering in May of 1956. Forrest married Joyce Anderson on June 27, 1953. His first two children were born in Minnesota before they moved to Los Angeles, Calif., where they added two more sons to the family. Forrest worked for 36 years in the aerospace industry. Among his many accomplishments were participating in testing rocket engines for the Apollo missions, testing and installation of a device to analyze soil for signs of life on Mars on the Viking Lander, and working on various satellite programs. He retired in 1992, returning to Minnesota where he and Joyce enjoyed living on the shores of Big Sandy Lake in McGregor, until moving to Duluth in 2011 to be closer to family. Forrest is survived by his wife of nearly 62 years, Joyce; son Mark (Ella) and daughter Susan (Steve) McConnell of Duluth, son Jon (Elizabeth) of New York City, and son Todd of Cartagena, Colombia; grandchildren Rhiana (Rod McNeely), Hallen, Jade (Joseph Paczelt), Travis (Megan), Amy, Adriano (Celine), Leandro, Jayne, Noelle, Tobias, and Lena; and great-granddaughters Olivia and Aracely, plus another great-grandchild due in June. GATHERING OF FAMILY AND FRIENDS: 1 p.m. until the 2 p.m. memorial service on Saturday, April 4, 2015 in Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, 1325 N. 45th Ave. E. in Duluth. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Lutheran World Relief would be appreciated. Cremation Society of Minnesota 218-624-5200