Deceased May 9, 2005
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In Memory
It is with sorrow that we write of the death of our friend and classmate, Mike DeForge, who passed away in May of this year after being diagnosed with cancer.
Mike thoroughly enjoyed our years at Amherst—academically, athletically and socially. He was an avid participant in sitting down and hashing over the insights, the perspectives and the wit of the College’s professors and coaches, from Professor Latham to Coach Ostendarp. Athletically, Mike was one of the top football recruits in the Class of 1971 and was a stalwart on the offensive line. He worked hard every time that he took the field and truly loved the game. While the authors of this remembrance groaned at the daily run up Memorial Hill at the end of freshman football practice, Mike smiled and reminded us how lucky we were to be playing football at Amherst. Be it practice or the off-season workouts, Mike loved being a football player at Amherst and welcomed the chance to compete in a game he loved at the school that he loved and to enjoy the camaraderie of the game.
As a member of Delta Upsilon, Mike avidly participated in the nightly reviews of the day’s developments with his fraternity brothers. He definitely enjoyed the give-and-take of fraternity life and the weekly house meetings that gave us all a chance to review the highlights and interesting situations of the prior seven days. Reflective of Mike’s humorous side and his fraternity brothers affection for him, Mike was elected “Wheaties Chairman,” which made him the designated master-of-ceremonies for the weekly comic review of the prior week’s academic and social highlights and misjudgments produced by his fellow DU brothers. No discussion of the enjoyment that Mike took in being a member of Delta Upsilon would be complete without a mention of Mike’s friendship with Bill Casey, DU’s houseman, who always had a good-natured opinion on every subject which he was always willing to share.
We did not always see as much of Mike as we may have wished as Mike, being a native of western Massachusetts, had many friends in the Five College area, including his future wife, Diane. Following graduation, Mike and Diane married, settled in Rutland, Mass., and raised two daughters, Christine and Katherine. Mike maintained a strong interest in Amherst athletics and rarely missed a chance to reminisce with old friends at the annual Homecoming Game. That gave us all a chance to catch-up with old friends on our individual passages through life and gave Mike’s friends the opportunity to witness the great affection shared by Mike, Diane, Christine and Katherine. The games also gave Mike a chance to make new friends from among our class, and he became an active participant in the online communications among class members.
Mike had a big heart, was honest to the core and you always knew that he was a friend. We will miss him.
Although we feel a great sense of sorrow with Mike’s passing, we are comforted in knowing that he was blessed with the deep affection of his family and in knowing that he continued to enjoy his love of Amherst and Amherst athletics that began during our years at the College until the tragic developments of this past May.
Our heartfelt sympathies and prayers go out to Diane, Christine and Katherine.
Tom Donovan ’71
Jake Jakobek ’71
Dave Johnson ’71