Forrest "Red" Leighton

Forrest “Red” Leighton passed away on the morning of April 27, 2023, at the Harry S. Truman VA Hospital at the age of 97. Visitation will be held on May 4, 2023 at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church, 914 West Blvd, Columbia, MO from 5 -7 p.m. On May 5, 2023, a private burial with Full Military Honors will take place at Memorial Park Cemetery. The Memorial Service will be held later that day at 11:00 a.m. at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church, followed by lunch. Those unable to attend in-person, may join in the Memorial Service via Zoom using the “Worship” button at http://saintandrewslutheran.org/online-events, Meeting ID: 5734495674, Password: 65203.

Red is survived by his wife Dorcas Leighton, his three children, Stan Leighton, Sharon Finley-Peerson and husband Parker, Jan Becker and husband Wayne. He was proud papa of 5 grandchildren, Scott Finley (Ann Hamilton), Rachelle Donovan (Ryan), Julie Coopersmith (Ryan), Kyle Becker (Brittney) and Kelsey Becker (Noel Rivera). He is also survived by seven great grandchildren: Taylin, Evan Declan and Kellen Donovan, Charlotte, Cohen and Ford Coopersmith plus an expectant grandson, Noah Becker.

Red was born on May 2, 1925 the son of Edward Everett Leighton and Ethel Estelle (Peterson) Leighton. He spent his childhood on a farm in Falmouth, Maine where he and his brother, Wes, did daily chores – feeding chickens, pigs and milking cows before they went to school. Red attended a small country school where he first got his nickname “Red’ from his friends. During his high school years, he played basketball, baseball, soccer and participated in school plays. During many of the Maine winters, Red would find himself riding home from playing basketball, looking at the mounds of snow on the sides of the road that were taller than the bus.

After high school, Red joined the Marines in WW II, where he saw heavy battle on the islands of Saipan and Tinian. After 18 months he was medically discharged. Red’s service to our country was recognized by his trip on the Honor Flight to Washington D. C. this past October. After he returned from the war, he considered his next step. Red’s uncle, who was the athletic director of Dana College in Blair, Nebraska, encouraged Red to go to college and play sports for Dana College. While at Dana, Red played football, basketball and baseball. Red received his bachelor’s degree in business administration and found the love of his life, Dorcas Vammen. Red and Dorcas were married after Red’s graduation on June 15, 1949 in Oaks, Oklahoma, Dorcas’ home town. Soon after the wedding, they headed the Kansas City with little money in their pockets. Red borrowed a car from his father-in-law and headed to Kansas City to look for a job. His first job was working at Safeway where he was paid $1 an hour. He quickly was asked to be a manager in the nearby town of Topeka, but turned that down because he was interested in going into outside sales. Red started working for Carpenter Paper Company, later called Nationwide Paper, in 1949. After months working in the main office in Kansas City, Red got his own sales territory in central Missouri, working as a paper salesman. Red and Dorcas moved to Columbia in 1950 where he sold paper products for 38 years. He would want you to know that he worked on straight commission and he would say, “If he didn’t sell, he didn’t eat”. In 1951, Dorcas and Red started their family with the birth of Stanley in 1951, followed by Sharon in 1953 and Jan in 1956. The lived in the same neighborhood for 58 years until they moved to Lenoir Woods in 2017.

Even with his busy work schedule, Red made time to get involved in the community. He was a member of the Downtown Optimist Club, where every year he sold Christmas trees and Koezie products as fundraisers for the youth in the community. In 1989, Red became the president of the Downtown Optimist Club and in 1990, he became the Governor of the Eastern MO District. Red was recently honored for selling over 1 million dollars’ worth of Koeze nut sales in his 65 years at the Downtown Optimist Club. Red was a faithful and charter member of St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church for 65 years. Red was a past congregational president and participated on multiple church committees. He was a longtime member of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce, and when he retired, sold memberships for the Chamber for 4 years. Red was a member of the original Rock Bridge State Park Board where he worked to raise funds for the park. Red credited his wife, Dorcas for much of his success in life and he called her is greatest asset. They were blessed with 74 years of marriage before his passing.

Red’s passions were helping young businessmen get their business off to the best possible start. He was a member of SCORE where the team evaluated business plans and gave suggestions. One of his favorite passions was playing golf. He was a member of the Country Club of Missouri and then a member of the Columbia Country Club. Red would play as many holes as he could squeeze in a day. He had been known to play 27 and an occasional 36 hole of golf. Red tried to encourage Dorcas to play golf but she never took up the game. One time he asked Dorcas to watch him play a few holes of golf. On the first hole, he was teeing off with his wife standing to the side of the tee box. Right after he hit the ball, he shanked it and the ball hit Dorcas’ ankle. This was the last time she went with Red to the golf course.

People will remember Red by his deep faith, his persistent sales charm, his positive attitude, his red string bow-tie, red car and red socks. He would complement people on their beautiful smile, and when people would say, “Have a good day”, he would respond by saying, “Every day is a good day, they may vary, but that’s what make life interesting.” We were blessed to have him in our lives. He will be greatly missed!

Memorials may be made to the Downtown Optimist Club or St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.memorialfuneralhomeandcemetery.com for the Leighton family.