CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – William Joseph Forrester, who served Ward 11 with distinction on the Clarksville City Council from 2007 to 2010, died Friday, Jan. 15 at Skyline Medical Center.
A Celebration of Life ceremony will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20 at McReynolds-Nave & Larson Funeral Home, Clarksville.
Mr. Forrester served on several standing committees during his four years on the City Council, including the Charter & Code Revision and Gas & Water committees. He considered his work to establish the City’s Ethics Code as among his foremost accomplishments.
“Bill served our City with great distinction,” Mayor Joe Pitts said. “His concern for Dunbar Cave State Park was always at the forefront of his mind, and his legacy of service was marked by compassion and a focus on the whole community. Our prayers are with the Forrester family during this season of loss.”
City Attorney Lance Baker remembered Mr. Forrester as an outstanding City Council member.
“Bill was wise, very level headed, never extreme, thoughtful, and considerate,” Baker said. “He was smart, with an advanced degree and interesting work experience on environmental issues. He was a really, really good man.”
Mr. Forrester, 82, was born in 1938 in Waverly, Tenn. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Austin Peay State University and was the first to receive a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, according to his obituary released by the funeral home.
Over his long career with state and federal agencies, he served as an Environmental Manager for the State of Tennessee, coordinating the state’s hazardous waste regulations. While serving the U.S Department of Defense, he supervised aspects of the Superfund hazardous waste mitigation program.
Mr. Forrester was a veteran of the U.S. Army, a member of First Baptist Church, Clarksville, and an avid golfer.
He is survived by his wife Teresa Forrester; his children and their spouses; siblings; and grandchildren.