Forest Oral Ripley
Forest Oral Ripley, 80, of Marshall, a man with a love for the open road, died peacefully surrounded by his beloved family on Friday, January 23, 2026. Forest was born on October 31, 1945, in Homer, the son of Oral and Dorthy (Conley) Ripley of Marshall, Michigan. He grew up in Lee Township in the farming community and remained a lifelong farmer. Forest graduated from Olivet High School in 1964 and went to work in various trades before settling into becoming a professional truck driver. He retired from Holland Motor Freight, where he earned his over a million-mile accident free jacket. He married the love of his life, Karen Sue Kunkel on November 23, 1968, and the two settled into family life in Lee Township.
Forest loved being with his family. Growing up his son and daughter enjoyed when they were able to go on a trip with dad. His great-grandchildren loved visiting for tractor rides and the candy treats that were also always involved. His dedication to farming came with a passion for Ford tractors and trucks. He was especially fond of his 1956 Victoria and candy apple red 1967 Fairlane. Forest loved the outdoors as well, especially hunting and fishing, and traveling the road to various flea markets and auction sales.
Forest is survived by his wife of 57 years, Karen Ripley; daughter, Tammey Wine; son, Tony Ripley; grandchildren, April “Nikki” (Gage) Mingus and David (Hannah) Wine; and great-grandchildren, Karlee Cotter, Izayah Mingus, Dominic Mingus, Lyla Wine and Mia Wine. He was preceded in death by two daughters, Tracy and Trixie Ripley.
Friends are encouraged to support Forest’s family by attending services or sharing memories on his Tribute Page at www.prayfuneral.com. Funeral Services will be held at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, February 3, 2026 at Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church in Eaton Rapids with Pastor Mark Eckert officiating. Visitation and refreshments will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the church just prior to the service. Visitation will also take place from 1 to 3 and 5 to 7:00 p.m. on Monday, February 2, 2026 at Pray Funeral Home, Charlotte. Interment will follow in Lee Center Cemetery. The funeral will be webcast so you may watch it from any computer, smartphone, or mobile device that has internet access. Go to www.prayfuneral.com, click on Fores’s tribute, then click on Photos and Videos from your computer (or Media from your smart phone). If desired, the family suggests memorial contributions to the Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church of Eaton Rapids. The family is in the care of Pray Funeral Home, Charlotte.