Mike fought a long hard battle against melanoma since 2003. He went home to be with the Lord on October 5th 2022. Mike was born to Ruth and Jim Forney of Ashland AL in 1961. When he was 3, the Forney family relocated to Gainesville Ga. Mike went on to graduate from Johnson High School. After graduation, he was employed by Gainesville Manufacturing where he met his future wife, Sharon Wheeler. Together they have two sons, Michael, Jr and Ethan. Mike had a love for animals and hockey.
In 1981, Mike married Sharon. In 1984 he welcomed Michael, Jr into the world followed by second son Ethan in 1990. Mike became a grandfather to Everett in 2018, followed by Jacob in 2019. These grandchildren were treasures to Mike.
Before Mike met Sharon, he always had dogs for pets. Mike grew to like cats as Sharon always had cats for pets. In 2003, he got a black lab mixed Doberman, named Lucy. In 2015, his oldest son brought a cat named Garfield home. Mike was heartbroken when Lucy passed in 2017 and it wasn’t until 2022 he got another dog, a German shepherd named Leia. Because of his love for animals, the family is asking that donations be made to the Humane Society in lieu of flowers.
Mike once worked at KFC long enough to buy a skateboard. After leaving KFC, he was employed by Gainesville Manufacturing where he worked until it closed. He went on to work at TRW, later sold to SKF where he worked for 10 years. He had an opportunity to go to Sweden and work for an SKF sub company, LMT. The Forney family, now fluent in Swedish, worked there for four years before returning to SKF at the Aiken, SC facility. He took a break from SKF and moved back to Gainesville in 2002, working for himself trenching silt fence for new construction sites, later returning to SKF in 2008 until the time of his retirement in 2022.
During Mike’s time in Sweden, he grew to love watching hockey. He would go to the local hockey rink with Ethan and watch the Red Roosters play. When the family moved back to the states, he would take Ethan to watch the Atlanta Thrashers play. However, his favorite teams were the Chicago Blackhawks and the Boston Bruins.
Mike did his best to keep cancer from overwhelming his life. He had many adventures and travels through the years. He worked through his illness and treatments with resolve. Mike was always so full of life. He was the life of the party during family gatherings, keeping us all in stitches. Mike loved a good joke. He had a unique way of keeping anyone he met comfortable and at ease. He leaves behind numerous friends and colleagues who are missing him mightily.
Mike is preceded in death by his father, Jim Forney, and his mother-in-law, Jeanette Wheeler.
Mike is survived by his wife, Sharon Forney, son Michael Forney, Jr, son Ethan (Emalee) Forney, grandsons Everett and Jacob Forney, mother Ruth Tanner (Maw), Aunt Martha and Jim Spies, father-in-law Bill Wheeler, Jr., brother and sister-in laws Bill Wheeler, Lorraine and Ricky Veal, John and Angela Wheeler, Gail and Lamar Jones, Jean and Jeff Thomas.
Funeral services will be held Saturday October 8,2022 at 4:00 p.m. in the chapel of Little & Davenport Funeral Home. Rev. John Batusic will officiate. The family will receive friends at the funeral home Saturday from 2:00 p.m. until the funeral hour.
Those wishing to send online condolences to the family may do so at littledavenport.com
Little & Davenport Funeral Home and Crematory, 355 Dawsonville Highway, SW, Gainesville, Georgia 30501 is in charge of arrangements.
