Phoebe I. Forshee

Our loving mother, Phoebe Forshee, entered eternity on February 21, 2025.  She was mother to 8, grandmother to 24, great-grandmother to 30, and great-great-grandmother to 16.

She was born in New Jersey, but moved to Binghamton as a young child. Her childhood was filled with many hardships and constant moves which caused her to quit school at 16. A month after her 17th birthday, she married Edward “Ned” Forshee and moved to his 500-acre farm on Hunts Corners Road.  In 1949, they sold the main farmhouse, kept 273 acres with the small tenant house, filling it with 8 children who survive her, Carolyn Ellis Christy, Marilyn (Russ) Negus, Linda (Whip) Hammond, Glenn (Sally) Forshee, Patricia Forshee-Moll, Joan Forshee, Jean (Russ) Tillotson, and Lisa Forshee.  She is also survived by her siblings, Esther Hopkins, William Couch, Sr., and Ruth Higgins Alden, many nieces and nephews. As a young wife, Phoebe cooked meals on a Home Comfort wood stove. She had to heat water up for washing dishes, and bathing her children. She did laundry by hand and then by wringer washer. She washed out dirty diapers by hand and proudly hung them on line looking like new. She plucked every feather from a chicken to cook for Sunday dinner.  She worked hard and in 1966 she had plumbing installed.  A few years later she had a kitchen addition added with a new gas stove, cupboards, washer, and dryer that she was so proud of.  Besides farm work, raising children, and gardening she worked nights at SCM factory and retired from Wilson Sporting Goods factory. 

Phoebe and Ned were married for 51 years.  Thirteen years after Ned’s death, Phoebe found love again marrying Everett Gutchess. They shared 5 happy years together before his death in 2013. She is survived by his children: Linda (Gunner) Marsh, Sharon (Rick) Bleck, Randy (Debbie) Gutchess, Robbie (Lisa) Gutchess, and Lisa (Richard) Smith. Phoebe loved to sew. After she raised her family, she made beautiful quilts, table tops, and stuffed animals including bears and dinosaurs for her grandchildren. She knitted and crocheted hats, mittens, and scarves. She learned to drive at 30. She took classes and triumphantly obtained her GED diploma.  She learned cake decorating making doll cakes and bear cakes. Her cinnamon buns, pies, and pecan tarts were favorites! She made popcorn balls for kids at Halloween. She loved flowers and took pride in her lawn being neat and filled with trees and flowers. Her motto in life was “Idle hands make idle minds” so she kept busy making the world a more beautiful place with her creations. She was always willing to lend a helping hand, or listening ear and will be greatly missed by her family. 

A Funeral Service will be held at 11:00am on Saturday, April 26, 2025 at Hunts Corners Baptist Church, 2515 State Route 221, Marathon, NY 13803. Friends of the family may call from 10:00am until the time of service at the Church. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Phoebe’s name to the Alzheimer’s Association at https://donorservices.alz.org/page/FUNXAHXKQNE or Association for Vision Rehabilitation and Employment (AVRE) at https://avre.networkforgood.com/projects/79020-avre-online-donations. Arrangements are under the direction of Corey Dietrich at Nichols Funeral Home, 7323 119 St, Whitney Point, NY 13862 and condolences may be sent to the family at www.nicholsfuneral.com.

“Families are like quilts. Lives pieced together with smiles and tears, colored with memories through happy times, sad times, and all bound by love."

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