Forrest Gray Byerly 1945 - 2026

Forrest Gray Byerly passed away peacefully on Sunday, February 15, 2026, after a courageous lifelong battle with complications from polio. Forrest was born June 18, 1945, in Eugene, Oregon, to Gordon R. Byerly and Delores V. (Gum) Byerly.  He was preceded in death by sisters, Karen Arms and Alice Brennan. Forrest is survived by his wife, Linda Byerly; son, Greg Byerly; stepchildren, Dawn Roberson, Nancy VanBuren, and Michael VanBuren; grandson, Dominique; stepchildren, Michael Grimes and Daniel Grimes; sisters, Joanell (Joni) Mogstad and Merry Byerly; and brothers, Charles (Ed) Byerly, David Lewin, and Jerry Lewin.

Forrest was proud to have been born into the fifth generation of his maternal pioneer family in Oregon. He spent his childhood on the family farms in Jasper and Pleasant Hill, Oregon. He graduated from Pleasant Hill High in 1963.

As a child and young man, Forrest worked hard on the family farm. Even with his physical limitations as a polio survivor, he kept up with his brothers and sisters baling hay, driving tractors, moving irrigation, and harvesting crops. As an adult, Forrest worked for many years at his own company “Byerly’s Saddle and Tack” in Dundee, Oregon, where he lived with his family for many years.

Many of Forrest’s 80 years were spent exploring and enjoying the mountains, streams, and rivers of his home state He was always looking for that perfect fishing hole.  During these fun-filled days, if he wasn’t fishing, he was hunting with his buddies, driving his Triumph, shooting hoops or playing baseball with the “Byerly team.” He enjoyed competitive games and liked playing cribbage, carroms and cards with anyone who dared challenge him.

Forrest could tell quite the yarn about his adventures and was well known for his incredible memory and mischievous humor.

He will be greatly missed by family and friends, including many nieces and nephews, hunting and fishing buddies. We will all miss his smile, quick wit, storytelling and recounting of the "good-old-days."