This week, the Eddy County community pauses for a special tribute — an extended remembrance of a man whose life became inseparable from the story of the region he served for more than nine decades.
In this special edition, the community honors Robert “Bob” H. Forrest — former mayor, businessman, rancher, philanthropist, and inductee of the Dale Janway Hall of Fame — who passed away Tuesday, May 12, 2026, at his home in Carlsbad. He was 90 years old.
Bob Forrest served four terms as mayor of Carlsbad, a tenure of 16 years that stands among the longest and most influential in the city’s modern history. Whether through his family’s business at Forrest Tire Company, his decades in public office, his work alongside former State Representative John Heaton advocating for Eddy County in Washington, D.C., or his co-founding of CARC Inc. in 1973 to serve individuals with developmental disabilities across southeastern New Mexico — Bob Forrest gave his time, his resources, and his name to the place he loved.
Late in life, when asked what advice he would offer younger generations, his answer was simple: “Be honest.”
Those who knew him say that quiet directness captured everything about who he was.
Full tributes, service details, and family condolences are maintained through Denton-Wood Funeral Home. To read the complete life story or to leave a message for the Forrest family, please visit:
Denton-Wood Funeral Home Obituaries https://www.dentonwood.com/obituaries
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