George D. Foret

George D. Foret, 89, of Merrimack and Manchester NH, passed away peacefully on January 10, 2024. He was the loving husband of Shirley K. (Morse) Foret with whom he shared almost 63 years of marriage.

George was born on February 2, 1934 to the late Gustave and Danica (Bosnic) Foret in Zagreb, Yugoslavia. As his mother was not yet an US citizen, George passed through Ellis Island with her when they returned to the United States. They resided in New York City where he went to Catholic School and was a choir boy.  George’s father taught music in several private schools in New England before settling the family in Hanover, NH.  After graduating from Hanover High School, George joined the US Marine Corps, working as a radio technician. Proudly serving during the Korean War, he received both the National Defense and Good Conduct Medal. Upon his discharge, George returned to Hanover, where he met his future wife Shirley, when they both worked as X-Ray Technicians at Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital, which is now Dartmouth Medical Center. He was a member of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) and worked as a Certified Manufacturing Engineer for a number of companies throughout the New England area.  

George and Shirley moved their family from Hanover to Merrimack where they raised their children and resided for over 45 years. George was a volunteer for Merrimack Youth Association and a Hockey Coach for Southern New Hampshire Youth Hockey Association. He was a family man and enjoyed spending time with his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. His hobbies included youth sports, reading, traveling, camping, and skiing. As his father was a classical musician, George loved classical music and theater. George had a love for animals; he and Shirley helped all in need and adopted many into the family over the years. George found the most joy in cooking meals and sharing time with family at their many gatherings and events. He will be truly missed by all.

Along with his wife Shirley, George is survived by his children, Suzanne Charles and her husband Michael Lord of Manchester, Chris Foret and his wife Allison of Humble, TX, and Gretchen Borda and her husband Brian of Germany; sister Millicent Rothman and her husband Steve of Bolton MA; sister-in-law Claudia Foret of Jamaica; eight grandchildren; eight great grandchildren, with a new addition due soon;  many nieces and nephews; and his beloved cat Riley, so named because he has the life of Riley. He is predeceased by his parents, his brother John Foret, and sister-in-law Lois Foret.

A Memorial Gathering will be held on Monday April 22nd from 10am-12pm at The Phaneuf Funeral Home & Crematorium, 172 King Street in Boscawen. Interment will follow at 1pm in The NH State Veteran Cemetery. The day will conclude with a celebration of his life at a local Concord restaurant. Family and friends are kindly invited to attend.

In lieu of flowers, and in honor of George’s love for animals, his family asks that donations in his memory be made to The Humane Society for Greater Nashua, 24 Ferry Rd., Nashua NH 03064 https://www.hsfn.org/tributegifts/ or The Manchester Animal Shelter 490 Dunbarton Rd. Manchester NH 03102 https://give.manchesteranimalshelter.org/give/528017/#!/donation/checkout