Forrest Travis

Forrest Gardner Travis was born on May 13, 1926, to the late Ralph and Margaret (Haggerty) Travis in Lismore Township, Nobles County, Minnesota. He grew up in Magnolia, Minnesota where he attended school, graduating from Magnolia High School with the class of 1944.

After graduation, Forrest enlisted in the United States Navy. He went to boot camp at the Farragut Naval Training Station in Idaho. He served in the South Pacific on the U.S.S. Edgecombe APA 164 and took part in the Okinawa invasion. He was Honorably discharged in 1946.

On January 15, 1950, Forrest was united in marriage to Ila Mae Baumgard at Trinity Lutheran Church in Brewster, Minnesota. They lived in Burbank, California for two years. When they returned to Minnesota, He was in the excavating business in the Magnolia-Luverne Area until 1963. He was then appointed as a Rural Mail Carrier in 1963 and served the routes in Magnolia and around the Adrian area until his retirement in 1986. They then moved to the Battle Lake, Minnesota area where they spent their summers on Deer Lake and went to Florida and Arizona during the winter months.

Forrest had a love for horses, fishing and traveling. He was a member of the United Methodist Church, a life member of the Luverne V.F.W. Post #2757.

On Wednesday, March 22, 2023, Forrest passed away at 96 years of age at the Mills Manor in New York Mills, Minnesota. He will be dearly missed by his family and friends. Preceding him in death are his parents, Ralph and Margaret; brother: Maurice; and special aunt: Ruth Slade.

Forrest is survived by his children: Maurice (Nancy) Travis; and Mark (Linda) Travis; step-grandchildren: Kristi (Chad) Schmaltz, Amy (Brandon Lulay) O’Brien; Kelly (Keven) Huang; and Travis Peterson; great-grandchildren: Tristyn, Jack, Rafe, Iris, Nyha, Joshua Taya, and Ilyia; brother: Wayne (Dee) Baumgard; nieces and nephews: Mike Baumgard; Debbie (Brian) Green; Brenda (Brett) Haarmann; many other relatives and a host of friends.

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