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Robert Burns Forney, Jr. Obituary

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Robert Burns Forney, Jr.

Toledo, OH

July 16, 1945 - December 4, 2022

Robert Burns Forney, Jr. Obituary

Link to Dr. Robert Forneys Funeral Livestream: https://youtu.be/X1e0bsxK1OQ


 Robert Burns Forney, Jr., Ph.D., age 77, of Toledo, died peacefully at home on December 4, 2022, with his loving family by his side.


Bob was passionate about things that mattered. Foremost, he was passionate about his Savior Jesus Christ and about God’s Word. For decades, Bob led a Bible study in his home. First in Indianapolis and Cleveland and then for 40 years in Toledo, hundreds sat under his excellent biblical teaching. The ministry of Friday Night Bible Study extended to other days of the week as he discipled many young men and women, investing in their growth and challenging them to maturity.


His passion for God’s truth caused Bob to be a blessing to Christ the Word Church, where he served as an elder for the past 20 years. He also taught Sunday school classes and was the teacher of “Basic Training” -- a Christ the Word ministry which trains men to be godly leaders in their homes, church, and workplaces.


Bob was passionate about evangelism. He spoke often and urgently about Jesus Christ. He was uninhibited about his faith. Those who knew him–either intimately or casually or professionally–soon heard the reason for his hope and their need for a Savior.


Bob also was passionate about his family. He delighted in his wife Debbie, and together they served the Lord for 36 years. He considered each of his five children to be a blessing from the Lord. He loved them. And they grew up in a family filled with faith, adventure, music, affection and honor.


Bob was born July 16, 1945, in Terre Haute, IN. Although his family lived in Indianapolis, summers were spent enjoying time with family and friends at their lake property, fondly known as Stonehenge. Dr. Robert Forney, Sr. named it that saying it looked like a mysterious pile of rocks. Like his father, Bob had a great sense of humor. He also enjoyed being outdoors with his dad planting trees, fishing, hunting, and actively serving in Boy Scouts. He earned the rank of Eagle Scout in 1960. His other hobbies included reading, photography, writing stories and poetry, and traveling.


He earned his undergraduate degree from Indiana University in 1967. He then served three years in overseas public health as a Peace Corps volunteer in Southeast Asia, primarily in Thailand, during the Vietnam War. He was fluent in the Thai language and hiked to remote villages as a part of a Malaria Eradication team. It was while he was bushwhacking through the jungle that he determined to pursue a career first and foremost to make a contribution – to leave society better than he found it. When he returned home, he followed in his father’s footsteps by completing his Ph.D. in Toxicology at Indiana University School of Medicine in 1974. Dr. Forney completed his post-doctoral fellowship in Forensic Toxicology at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and the Office of the Cuyahoga County Coroner in Cleveland from 1974-76.


Dr. Forney served as the Chief Toxicologist at the Office of the Lucas County Coroner from 1976-2022 and was the Director of Toxicology and the Poison Control Center at the Medical College Hospital from 1976-2003. He was grateful to have capable toxicologists working with him in his toxicology lab. As a Forensic Toxicologist he was an expert witness in criminal and civil cases throughout the United States. Dr. Forney wrote numerous abstracts and research articles in his area of expertise over his career.


He was a gifted teacher and enjoyed instructing medical students and residents, as well as toxicology, pharmacy, nursing, allied health, law, and criminal justice students. He often was asked to speak in various high schools and community forums. His instruction was straightforward and from the heart.

Some of his appointments included Clinical Associate Professor at the Medical College of Ohio School of Medicine, Department of Pathology and the School of Allied Health; Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Toledo’s College of Pharmacy and College of Law; and Adjunct Associate Professor at the Thomas Jefferson University Graduate School of Biomedical Ethics. Dr. Forney was a Diplomat, American Board of Forensic Toxicology (Certif. No. 081, April 15, 1978); a Fellow at the American Academy of Forensic Sciences; Past Chair of the Executive Board, Alcohol and Drug Impairment Division (formerly COAD), National Safety Council; Past Chair of the Social and Behavioral Factors Subcommittee, ADID, National Safety Council; Co-Chair of the Alcohol Section, 1999 Meeting of the International Association of Forensic Sciences; Member of the Society of Forensic Toxicologists; and Member of the International Association of Chemical Testing. In 1994, he had the honor of taking his father’s position on the faculty of The Robert F. Borkenstein Course on Alcohol and Highway Safety: Testing, Research and Litigation. In fact, Dr. Forney paid tribute to his father, calling him a “stout-hearted man who gave me a love of life, science, public service and him.”


Some of his awards included Teaching Excellence at the Medical College of Ohio in 1980; Honorary Life Member of Phi Kappa Phi Fraternity in 1982; Outstanding Leadership - Toledo/Lucas County CARES in 1984; Good Citizenship Citation from Michigan State Police in 1984; The Kurt M. Dubowski Award from the International Association of Chemical Testing; and the Robert F. Borkenstein Award from the National Safety Council in 2013.


Left to cherish his memory is his beloved wife, Debra B. (Brandt) Forney; children, Ashley (Nathanael) Filippelli, Robert (Erica) Forney III, W. Scott Forney, Jonathan Forney, and Daniel (Megan Orzechowski) Forney; grandchildren, Jonathan, Clara, and Ezra Filippelli, Brooke, Kimber and James Forney; and sister, Judith Forney. He was preceded in death by his parents and his daughter-in-law, Megan Orzechowski.


Family and friends are invited to visit Sunday, December 11, 2022, from 3-7 p.m., at Christ the Word Church, 3100 Murd Road, Sylvania, where a sharing of memories will take place at 6:00 p.m. Funeral services will be Monday, December 12, 2022, at 1:00 p.m. at the church. Graveside services will take place Tuesday, December 13, 2022, at 11:30 a.m. in Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis.


Contributions in Bob’s name are suggested to the Christ the Word Benevolence Fund in care of the church or the Robert F. Borkenstein Course on Alcohol and Highway Safety: Testing, Research and Litigation (please make checks out to the “Indiana University CSLA Foundation” and send to Barry Logan, Robert Forney Jr. Memorium, c/o CSFRE, 2300 Stratford Ave, Willow Grove, PA 19090).


“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the Word of Truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).


To share a memory or send a condolence gift, please visit the Official Obituary of Robert Burns Forney, Jr. hosted by Walker Funeral Homes OH.

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