- Born on: November 10, 1927
- Departed on: October 14, 2020
- Resided in: Cedar Rapids, IA
Forrest R. Mykleby
Forrest R. Mykleby, 92, of Cedar Rapids, died peacefully on October 14, 2020 surrounded by his family.
Due to the restrictions of gatherings amidst COVID-19, a Celebration of Forrest’s life will be held at a future date.
Survivors include two sons, Dr. Geoffrey (Kathy) Mykleby of Wauwatosa, WI, Dr. Brian (Connie) Mykleby of Bettendorf, IA,; two daughters, Diane (Michael) McDonnell of Naples, FL and Hopkins, MN and Sandra Mykleby of Minneapolis, MN; Six grandchildren, Eric (Chelsey) of North Liberty, IA, Phillip (Taylor) of North St. Paul, MN, Erin Mykleby of Las Cruces, NM; Ellyn of New York, NY, Madeline of Chicago, IL, and Margaret McDonnell of San Francisco, CA; great grandchildren, Hayden and Ella, Cole Forrest Mykleby; brother, Laurie (Darlene) Mykleby of Chicago, IL and Naples, FL.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 55 years, Elaine Mykleby, brothers and sisters, Hillard, Raymond, Eva, Opal and Donald.
Forrest was born on November 10, 1927 to Olaf and Minnie Mykleby and spent his childhood in the Eldred, MN area. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1950 and joined Wilson Foods where he served in various management capacities at many of their plants and headquarter locations. He then transferred to their Cedar Rapids plant in 1968 and served as General Manager until the plant was sold to Farmstead Foods in 1984. He then served as Sr. Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Farmstead Foods in that capacity until his retirement in 1987.
Forrest was active on many civic and fraternal organizations and served on the Board of Trustees and Executive Board of Mercy Medical Center, All Iowa Fair Agricultural Association, Director of Cedar Rapids/Marion Chamber of Commerce, Hawkeye Area Boy Scouts, Junior Achievement and YMCA. He was a member of First Lutheran Church and Rotary.
Forrest was an avid golfer and proud of his Norwegian heritage. He enjoyed fishing, mushroom hunting, woodworking and spending time with his children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and many friends. One of Forrest’s joys was dancing. He met his future wife Elaine at a dance and was still dancing into his 90’s with his granddaughters. He loved maps because he liked to know where he was going but was always up for a good shortcut. On the golf course, he was known for his wicked short game. His advice to his grandchildren was “work hard and be nice”.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to First Lutheran Church, Cedar Rapids Opera or the Mercy Medical Center Foundation.
Due to the restrictions of gatherings amidst COVID-19, a Celebration of Forrest’s life will be held at a future date.
Survivors include two sons, Dr. Geoffrey (Kathy) Mykleby of Wauwatosa, WI, Dr. Brian (Connie) Mykleby of Bettendorf, IA,; two daughters, Diane (Michael) McDonnell of Naples, FL and Hopkins, MN and Sandra Mykleby of Minneapolis, MN; Six grandchildren, Eric (Chelsey) of North Liberty, IA, Phillip (Taylor) of North St. Paul, MN, Erin Mykleby of Las Cruces, NM; Ellyn of New York, NY, Madeline of Chicago, IL, and Margaret McDonnell of San Francisco, CA; great grandchildren, Hayden and Ella, Cole Forrest Mykleby; brother, Laurie (Darlene) Mykleby of Chicago, IL and Naples, FL.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 55 years, Elaine Mykleby, brothers and sisters, Hillard, Raymond, Eva, Opal and Donald.
Forrest was born on November 10, 1927 to Olaf and Minnie Mykleby and spent his childhood in the Eldred, MN area. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1950 and joined Wilson Foods where he served in various management capacities at many of their plants and headquarter locations. He then transferred to their Cedar Rapids plant in 1968 and served as General Manager until the plant was sold to Farmstead Foods in 1984. He then served as Sr. Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Farmstead Foods in that capacity until his retirement in 1987.
Forrest was active on many civic and fraternal organizations and served on the Board of Trustees and Executive Board of Mercy Medical Center, All Iowa Fair Agricultural Association, Director of Cedar Rapids/Marion Chamber of Commerce, Hawkeye Area Boy Scouts, Junior Achievement and YMCA. He was a member of First Lutheran Church and Rotary.
Forrest was an avid golfer and proud of his Norwegian heritage. He enjoyed fishing, mushroom hunting, woodworking and spending time with his children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and many friends. One of Forrest’s joys was dancing. He met his future wife Elaine at a dance and was still dancing into his 90’s with his granddaughters. He loved maps because he liked to know where he was going but was always up for a good shortcut. On the golf course, he was known for his wicked short game. His advice to his grandchildren was “work hard and be nice”.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to First Lutheran Church, Cedar Rapids Opera or the Mercy Medical Center Foundation.
