Thomas Elbert Forehand, Jr.

Thomas Elbert Forehand, Jr. died at his home on January 15, 2021, at the age of 90. He was born on April 18, 1930 in Covington, Virginia, to the late Thomas Elbert Forehand and Ila Leary Forehand. Tom was the beloved husband of his wife, Elaine Pegram Forehand. Also surviving are his brother, West Forehand and wife, Shirley of Wake Forest, NC; brother-in-law Emmanuel Pegram and wife, Peggy; and sister-in-law Bernie Pegram, all of Raleigh; numerous nieces and nephews; and special great-niece, Samantha Stahl who brought so much joy to his life. Thomas retired from the Air Force where he served during the Korean war. He was a bombardier on the B-29 and flew several missions during two different tours during the war. He loved to visit the museum in Ohio and show where he sat in the plane. Another highlight of his career was working on the missile range in New Mexico. He often spoke of going out for days at a time on the missile range. He later discovered that he had medical problems due to radiation at that time. After retiring from service, he worked for ITT and later Alcatel here in Raleigh. He loved the United States and traveled in all the 48 states after retirement. Even during his last years suffering from dementia/Alzheimer’s, he loved to ride around in Raleigh. He thought he had been on a long trip and there was something new and exciting about the town and nature. He loved flowers and thought this past year they had never been as beautiful. As a hobby, he enjoyed model railroading and building model planes. He was an active member of Temple Baptist and then Trinity Baptist Church as long as his health permitted. There will be a celebration of life service at Trinity Baptist Church, 4815 Six Forks Rd., Raleigh, 27609 on Wednesday, January 20, 2021 at 1:00 pm. Burial will follow at Raleigh Memorial Park, 7501 Glenwood Ave., Raleigh. The family requests masks be worn and social distancing observed. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Trinity Baptist Church or Transitions LifeCare, 250 Hospice Circle, Raleigh, NC 27607 A service of Bryan-Lee Funeral Home, Raleigh.