John Frederick Forsythe

John Frederick Forsythe, 73, of Fremont, died Fri., Oct. 30, 2015 following a stroke and other illnesses. The former owner of Fremont Auto Parts, he is survived by his second wife; his daughters, Marcia (Steve) Smith and Jackie (Kevin) Adams, all of FL; sister, Kay (Mike) Roemelen, also of FL; and sisters-in-law, Penny Forsythe and Judi Forsythe, both of Fremont. He was born July 18, 1942 to Lilith B. (Mathias) and John "Jack" William Forsythe in Fremont; they precede him in death. His first wife, Paula (Goodman), passed January 19, 2011. They were kids when they married shortly after high school, and enjoyed 50 years of marriage together, raising their daughters and building several NAPA auto parts businesses in Fremont, Pemberville, and Woodville. From an early age, John had a remarkable talent for anything mechanical, especially cars. He could sell, drive, paint, and repair any car or engine. He painted famous late-model sprint cars for local racing legends Al Frank and others. Together with his business partner, Tom Schemmer, Fremont Auto Parts grew steadily for 40 years handling large commercial and industrial machining, as well as more specialized engine work. In later years, FAPI had quite an international business, working on and fabricating parts for Duesenbergs, Cords, Auburns, and historic airplanes and boats from all over the world. He was known in antique car circles worldwide for his ability to instinctively know what each engine needed, and if necessary, fabricate any missing parts. John got his first car at 16, a 1950-Ford from his Aunt. Over the years he has owned a '31 Packard, '50 Bentley, several Fords (1932, 1934, and 1951), a '31 Auburn, and an award-winning 1932 Auburn 8-100 Cabriolet, which won "Best of Show" from the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum in Auburn, IN. John took part in the annual Auburn car shows every Labor Day for over 30 years with life-long car buddies, Jay Engler, Red Root, Ernst Hillenbrand, Ralph Peters, Dave White, Russ Keller, Harold Sieving, Whitey Best, Roy Tucker and many others. Chris Mahoney, Gary Howe, and Ken Merusi spent many hours with John and the other guys working on cars helping others with their antique automobiles. John was a supporter of local causes, and in 2012 was inducted into the Fremont Speedway Hall of Fame. John was preceded by brothers, Michael David and Patrick Lynn Forsythe; niece, Kay Marie Fausey Fosmoe; and dear friends, Joe Wise and Marilyn Engler. The family would like to thank the doctors and nurses of Toledo Hospital, NICU, and CICU units, Dr. Vargas and his staff at the Cleveland Clinic, Sandusky and Dr. David DeFrance and his staff. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club, Auburn, IN, or the American Cancer Society. A Memorial Service will be held at a later date. The Herman-Karlovetz Funeral Home & Cremation Services assisted with making arrangements.