Forest Erwin Estella, November 13, 1922 — March 04, 2019

FOREST ERWIN ESTELLA November 13, 1922 – March 04, 2019 Share this obituary Send Flowers View/Sign Guest Book| Send Sympathy Card Forest Estelle has moved from The Villas at King Home into his heavenly home with Jesus his Lord and Savior on March 4, 2019 at the age of 96. He was born in Willow Branch, Indiana on November 13, 1922 to Claude and Roxie Estelle. He attended grade school in Charlottesville and Brandywine, and graduated from New Palestine High School with the class of 1940.

Forest served in World War II with the 172nd Combat Engineers, where he got to tour Europe. After the war, he worked for Cecil Boring in Carrolltown, Indiana. In 1947 he enlisted in the Army Air Corp, which later became the United States Air Force.

During the Korean war, he was a pilot on B-29s and B-50s with the 343rd Electronic Reconnaissance Squadron of the 55th Strategic Air Command. When he got out of the Air Force, Forest settled in Hancock County, Indiana. He was the owner of Sugar Creek Landscape and Nursery.

In the mid-sixties, he attended Indiana Bible College night classes, and graduated in May of 1968. That fall, he sold his home and business and went into mission work with New Tribes Mission, now known as Ethnos360. In 1969, he helped start a flight program to train missionary pilots to fly in remote jungle areas, which late became Ethnos360 Aviation.

He continued teaching and training pilots until he retired in 1997 at the age of 75, and he continued to enjoy his children and grandchildren and his yard and garden work. In 2017, he went into a nursing home, and was later moved to Tucson, AZ in September 2018. Forest was preceded in death by his parents, six siblings, his first wife Ava (Myers) who died in 1964, and his son-in-law John Sheffield.

He is survived by his second wife, Nora, and his six children: Phil (Linda), Dave (Linda), Steve (Betsy), Becky Sheffield West, John Mark (Christy), and Mary Lou (John) Martin, as well as 13 grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren. Burial with Military Honors will be at the McNeal, AZ cemetery for family members on March 9, 2019 at 9:00 am. A memorial service will be held at Ethnos360 Aviation in McNeal on the same day at 2:00 pm.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the “Ethnos360 Aviation Philippines Helicopter fund, in memory of Forest Estelle”.

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