Forest E. Pickering

Portsmouth - There are angels among us, and now there is one more. Forest E. Pickering a very beloved husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather, 93, of Portsmouth passed away on February 24, 2024 after battling with illness. He was born on September 10, 1930 in Lee, ME to the late Eugene and Georgia (Smith) Pickering. Forest was a career Patriot for this country. While serving in the U.S. Air Force stationed at Burtonwood Air Force Base in England, he met Margaret in St. Helens, England, where "Maggie" grew up. They were married on July 22, 1950 in St. Helens, England. Forest was a highly skilled mechanic and master electrician during his career, and worked on the NASA Titan Missiles at Kennedy Space Center located in Merrit Island, FL while living in Orlando, FL. During his time in the military, the family moved often including Cape Cod, Ma and as far away as Okinawa and Frankfurt, Germany. After a varied and lengthy career, Forest retired from the Air Force in 1971, and made Portsmouth, NH their final home. There, he went on to work at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard as an electrician for Shop 51, retiring on April 30 1993. If one of us needed something, and we all did over the years, he was there to help in any way he could. He didn't believe in problems, only solutions. He could repurpose anything for other uses, and in our family he was our own "MacGyver". He is survived by his wife of 73 years, Margaret Mildred "Maggie"(Bridge) Pickering and their four children, Shelley (Pickering) Nicholson of Kittery, ME; Michael and Susan (Emery) Pickering of Milton, NH; Michelle (Pickering) and Les Kemp of Vero Beach, FL and David and Donna (Miller) Pickering of Portsmouth, NH; grandchildren, Megan (Thompson) Rigler of Seattle, WA, M. Andrew Thompson of Exeter, NH, Kevin Nicholson of Berwick, ME, Mitchel Pickering of Seabrook, NH, Ashley Pickering of Seabrook, NH; and great-grandson M. Aidan Thompson the son of M. Andrew and Kait Thompson. He will be missed by family and friends and the many people who were touched by his gentle kindness. A graveside service with military honors will be held at 11 AM on Friday, March 22, 2024 in the Calvary Cemetery, Portsmouth.

Forest E. Pickering

September 10, 1930 - February 24, 2024