John Adam Forsyth

John Adam Forsyth crossed the threshold into the “undiscovered country” on the morning of July 19, 2025. That morning, he had shared with his mother a writing he was proud of and had brewed his daily cup of matcha tea. After years of dealing with a disease acquired during his military service in Iraq, he remained gentle, generous in spirit, patient, and grateful for the life he had. As his last breaths came, with his mother by his side, he remained true to that spirit.

John was born on a January morning in southeast Kansas, the youngest of four children. Soon thereafter, his family moved to Montana; the American West would shape his life from then on. He spent the bulk of his early years on a Montana ranch and then most of his school years in Lander, Wyoming. In Lander, he competed on state champion cross country running and skiing teams, gaining skills in two activities that he would pursue for the rest of his life.

After the attacks of September 11, 2001, John was determined to serve his country. Following a stint in the National Guard, he enlisted in the Air Force, where he served as an air traffic controller, in Iraq and elsewhere. Those skills would eventually lead him to Hailey, where he guided countless craft to safe takeoffs and landings at Friedman Memorial Airport.

Work hours at the airport were often quite long, but John found time to enjoy life with his beloved wife, Jessica, and his two sons, Ronan and Reece. He and Jessica took the boys to Disneyland and John frolicked with them in the true magic of the mountains surrounding Hailey—his mountains. When on his own, John embraced the outdoors, running or skiing on roads and trails throughout the region. He competed in many “ultra” races, with distances up to 100 miles in length. On his daily runs, his faithful dog, Arrow, would often accompany him, both of them running with gleeful, wild abandon. John would take “selfies” and videos on his runs, and he and the dog regularly displayed glorious smiles.

Whether in the wilderness or deep in thought about a book he had read, John was always reaching for knowledge…knowledge about the tenets of Buddhism or other philosophies or knowledge about himself and his limits.

Jessica, Ronan, and Reece now live in Sedro-Wooley, Washington. His parents John and Gail, and his siblings, Janean, Zach, and Sam, remain in the American West, sharing stories of “Johnny” and expressing gratitude for his extraordinary life.

Family and friends will gather for a memorial service with military honors, in the veteran’s section of the Hailey Cemetery, at 11A.M., on Saturday, October 4th. And who knows? At that time, John and Arrow may leave their porch as prayer flags flutter above them in the blue sky, headed for another perfect run. In this life, we will not see his like again.