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'That was the last time we saw him' | Family recalls calling father before he died of COVID-19

Lee Forgety and his two daughters got to speak to their dad one last time in November before he died. Now they are honoring him with a scholarship.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — We met Emma Forgety for the first time at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. She and her dad Lee spent months documenting life as a virtual learner.

But today they are sharing a new story one very close to their hearts.
It's the story of her grandpa.

As COVID-19 made its way across the country, it would find it's way to Emma's family.

"We all got over it in a week or around 10 days," her dad, Lee said. 

That included everyone except her grandpa.

Credit: wbir

"He got to the point where he was having a lot of trouble breathing so my mom took him to the emergency room at UT," Lee said. 

He stayed in the COVID-19 ward for four days before going on a ventilator.

"The day before he went on a ventilator we were able to facetime with him and um he got to see my girls and he couldn't talk much but it was the last time we got to see him," he said. 

Joe Forgety suffered two brain hemorrhages before he died, around Thanksgiving, according to his family.

Grandpa Joe was a 40 year veteran of Anderson County Schools. His family said that he did everything from teach agriculture to become the principal at Norris Middle School.

He was also a changemaker.

"He was the first director of safety at Anderson county schools," Lee said. 

His passion was making sure every student got their diploma.

"He created a program that helped students graduate," Lee said. "It's called Bridge now."

But Joe's memory and his passions are not lost on anyone. In fact, they now live on in Anderson County Schools.

"It's through the Education Foundation of Anderson County," Lee said. 

There's now a scholarship in his memory and it already has about $6,000. The goal is to help high school students get everything they need to graduate but also to honor his life, his work and his light.

"One of the things my mom says is ... we haven't lost him ... he just changed his address," he added. 

Though not physically here, he lives on through Lee, little Emma and through his impact on East Tennessee. The Forgety family would also like to thank the nurses and staff at UT Medical Center for all their kindness and their care. 

Credit: WBIR

Information on the scholarship can be found here:

Education Foundation of Clinton City and Anderson County Schools
Joe Forgety Memorial Scholarship Fund
212 North Hicks Street
Clinton, TN 37717
www.theeducationfoundation.info/donate/

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