Michael Ambrose Forgash

Michael Ambrose Forgash passed away peacefully in his home on Sunday, May 19th. He was 77 years old. Michael was born and raised in Bay City, Michigan, by the late Ambrose and Emily Forgash. He graduated from St. James High School in 1960. After two years at the seminary in Saginaw, Michigan, he completed his bachelor’s degree at Holy Cross Seminary in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. In 1965, Michael moved to Washington D.C., attended graduate school at Catholic University, and discerned a different calling than the priesthood. In 1970, he married Judy O’Tool, also from Bay City, and started a family. He spent his early professional career working on Capitol Hill for Congressmen Al Cederberg and Guy Vander Jagt, from Michigan. It was during this time that he developed his love for golf. The game that would consume many of his waking hours right up until his death, golf was the vehicle for cherished time spent with his two sons, business and personal friendships, and pre- and post-retirement sources of income. “Chief”, as he was affectionately known, spent over 30 years as an employee of Mount Vernon Country Club in Alexandria, Virginia - a club where he had also been a member in the early 1970’s. An avid world traveler, Michael took numerous trips to Southeast Asia, visiting close friends and experiencing the food and culture with which he had grown so fond. As a member of the social group Asians and Friends, he derived a wealth of pleasure from the camaraderie and connectedness of his closest acquaintances. Michael is survived by his two sisters, Joyce Buchmann (David) of Bay City, MI and Gloria of Columbia, MD, his two sons, Craig (Michelle) and Mark (Lisa), and three adoring grandchildren Christopher, Ashlyn and Nicholas. He is also survived by the mother of his two children, Judy (O’Tool) Moreland, of Basye, VA. Funeral services will be held at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Alexandria, VA on June 6th at 10:30 a.m. The family will receive visitors at Demaine Funeral Home located at 520 S. Washington Street in Alexandria on June 5th from 5-9 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Dignity Washington (www.dignitywashington.org) or a charity of choice in Michael’s name. His ashes will be buried next to his parents at Saint Patrick Cemetery in Bay City.