K6HY 1917 - 2010
Forrest T. Choate
Sepulveda, CA
Crescent City, CA
Salem, OR

QCWA # 11106
Chapter 7
K6HY - Forrest T. Choate
First Call: W3DSC in 1933       Other Call(s): W6PJR

SALEM - Forrest Tobey Choate, age 93, peacefully passed away on the morning of December 21, 2010 surrounded by family. Forrest was recovering from a fractured hip secondary to a fall 10 days earlier when the Lord called him home. Forrest was the only son of Berkeley and Virginia Tobey and was born August 10, 1917 in New York City, NY.

Daphne, his loving wife of 65 years, preceded him in death in 2007. He is survived by sons, John (Patricia) of Omaha, NE, and Michael (Kristin), of Palmdale, CA; daughters, Ann (Bradley) Call, of Thousand Oaks, CA., Susan (Willis) Good of Salem, OR and Deborah (James) Lisle also of Salem, OR., eighteen grandchildren and 32 great-grandchildren.

A WWII veteran, he had been a Signal Corps radar and communications officer serving in the American and China-Burma-India Theaters of operations. Following the war he went on to become a pioneer in television and news broadcasting in which he worked shows such as the Tonight show with Johnny Carson. After 32 years with NBC television at the Hollywood and Burbank Studios he and Daphne retired to Crescent City, CA. Forrest was an active amateur radio operator for 78 years engaging in worldwide communication from his station K6HY. While living in Crescent City he served on the Del Norte County Planning Commission and the Del Norte Amateur Radio Emergency Services from 1993 to 2001 when he and Daphne moved to Salem to be closer to family. He was a great photographer and communicator who loved to share his life stories. All who met him found him to be a kind, gentle, compassionate and loving man. Forrest loved and adored his Savior Jesus Christ, and all his earthly family who all knew of and felt his love. He will be missed and remembered as a loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.

Published in StatesmanJournal on Feb. 6, 2011