Patricia Marie Forbes, devoted to family

Patricia Marie “Pat” Forbes, a wonderful wife, mother, sister and friend, passed peacefully of complications related to cancer at 11:22 a.m., Sunday Aug. 11, 2024, in Lewes, surrounded by her loving family. 

Pat was devoted to her husband, children, grandchildren, and extended family. She was born in Detroit, Mich., in 1948, to William Wesley Higgins and Mary Elizabeth (Behm) Higgins. Pat grew up in a military family with six siblings. The family lived in Heidelberg, Germany, Fort Belvoir, Va., Mount Vernon, Va., Okinawa, Japan, Arlington, Va., and Carlisle, Pa. She graduated from Mount Vernon High School Class of 1965, where she sang in the chorus and was the best shot on the rifle team. 

Pat was the wife of Robert Glenn Forbes Jr., the love of her life. They met in 1965 at the Army base in Okinawa, Japan, where her family was stationed.  Bob was removing his military boots to be shined, he looked up and saw Pat’s beautiful face and that’s where their love story began. Pat was attending University of Maryland remotely and working for the Army as a secretary. Bob was a young lieutenant in the Army. They were soon married June 3, 1966, in Okinawa. 

Pat and Bob built a wonderful family and life for themselves with their three children, Bob, David and Beth. They lived in Okinawa, Japan, Wilmington, Fort Lee, Va., North Carolina, Hampton, Va., Poquoson, Va., Titusville, Fla., and Manchester, Mo. During their early years of marriage, the Coverdale, Nelson, and Bayliss families became important parts of their lives. 

In 1987, Pat and Bob moved back to Poquoson, Va., from Manchester, Mo., and lived happily for over a decade as their children went off to college and the working world. After Pat unexpectedly lost Bob in 1998, she dedicated herself to her family and a career in retail fashion. She lived and worked for a period in St. John, USVI, where her son Bob lived. Pat returned in 2001 and lived and worked in Martha's Vineyard, and then in Long Branch, N.J. She moved to Milton in 2012 to be closer to her family. She managed the Kate Spade store in Rehoboth. Pat retired in 2017 and enjoyed gardening, reading and spending time with her family. She loved her four grandchildren, Lelah, Lara, Cortland, and Parker. 

While Pat had a few lifelong friends, her youngest sister Peggy was her “person” in life, with whom she spoke multiple times every single day. Peggy was her confidant and her rock after Bob died. The Forbes family thanks Peggy, Phil, and the Bayliss family for their support through everything. 

Pat is survived by her children, son Robert Glenn “Bob” Forbes III, wife Molly, and their sons Cortland and Parker of Essex, Conn.; son David Michael Forbes, wife Jill, and their daughters Lelah and Lara of Alexandria, Va.; and daughter Elizabeth Anne “Beth” Forbes of Wilmington; her siblings, Mike Higgins, wife Kathy, children Heather, Emily and Andrew; Jimmy Higgins, wife Melody, children Margaret, Spencer, William, Brockton and Chelsea; Maureen Higgins-Lauterbach, daughters Laura and Elena; John Higgins; and Peggy Bayliss, husband Phil, children Cathryn, Ashley and Philip and their spouses Jamie, Casey and Amy; and their grandchildren Jack, Maggie, Taylor, Ryan, Riley and Philip; and Behm cousins Arthur, Theresa, Steven, Aurelie, Maryanne, Jeanette and Michael. 

In lieu of flowers, donations in Pat’s name to the M.S. Society of Greater Delaware Valley are welcome.

Visit Pat’s Life Memorial webpage at parsellfuneralhomes.com.