Roberta Forster Obituary

Forster
Roberta "Bobbi" A.
Forster
April 25, 1942
April 5, 2026

Roberta (Bobbi) A. Forster passed away on Easter afternoon, April 5th, 2026 at 4:05pm at Wake Forest Hospital in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Bobbi was born in San Francisco to German immigrants in 1942. She loved growing up in San Francisco and everything it represents. In the early 60s she moved to South Carolina to be with her sister, Ronnie and eventually she met and married US Navy sailor, Jerry Forster.
Bobbi and Jerry had two daughters, Audrey and Jeri. Navy life allowed them to discover cultures around the world, from Asmara Ethiopia, through much of Europe and the UK and allowed the kids to develop a deep global appreciation. Among the many places they visited were the Red Sea, Kenya, Pompeii and Mt Vesuvius, Pisa, the British Museum and Loch Ness.
Bobbi served in many Navy Wives Clubs, sponsored new families, and was active in base bowling leagues. At home, she had many artistic hobbies: sewing, acrylic painting and macrame. Bobbi loved exploring local food culture, reading widely, and was always learning. She was an avid birder with an enviable life list.
In the 1980s, Bobbi lived in Colorado Springs. She worked in collections at First National Bank and later for Sheppard's McGraw-Hill Publishing. She found her community at the Colorado Springs Unitarian Universalist Church. She was active in Pride and was a proud PFLAG member. Bobbi enjoyed sharing her culinary tastes with friends at weekly lunches and she was a regular attendee of the Colorado Springs Symphony Orchestra.
In 2021, Bobbi moved to the Arbor Acres retirement community to be closer to Jeri in North Carolina. Though Bobbi developed Lewy Body Dementia and Parkinsons, she found herself at home as she always had. Even when she required the support of memory care, Bobbi strove to contribute to her new community. She helped staff by delivering the daily newspaper. She knew all the trivia answers, won more than her share of Bingo and particularly loved attending the frequent musical performances. Everyone who took time with her became her friend. These many friendships and the support of her daughters gave her last five years a taste of honey.
Throughout her life, Bobbi loved animals, whether wild or domestic. Her home always had a dog or cat, she was a supporter of zoos and rescues. She was so glad to find a resident labrador at Arborview - Bobbi loved Rance and she was his favorite.
Bobbi was well loved, and we are all heartbroken.
Bobbi is survived by her daughters Audrey (Brian) Wagner and Jeri (Ari) Forster, her grandchildren Will and Julian Springer, Benjamin (Melissa Nathan) Wagner, Luke and Ryan Baugh, and Ashley (Nick) Chickering, and her great-granddaughter Lilly Chickering; and her sister's children Mike, Lynn, and Chrys Murray.
A brief memorial was held at Arborview. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the The Parkinson's Foundation or your local Humane Society or animal rescue.