Earleen DeForest

by Site Administrator | April 28, 2026 9:06 am

OSWEGO – April 25, 2026,  Earleen DeForest, 83, left us peacefully on Saturday, April 25^th, 2026, in the comfort of loving hands and hearts, surrounded by her children and caregivers.

Known as “Honey” to family and childhood friends, Earleen was born June 6^th, 1942; at Oswego Hospital to Earl K. and Mary Francis (Lowery) Brundage.  Earleen attended St. Mary’s Parochial School and Oswego Catholic High School graduating with the  Class of 1960.  Earleen worked at Sears & Roebuck to support her husband in completing his college degree and early career while raising three toddlers.  In her time, she attended the State University of NY at Oswego as a non-traditional student, earning Bachelors and Master’s degrees in Education.  She was a proud “non-trad” and believed deeply in lifelong learning and higher education as a path to self-determination.  Earleen was a devoted proponent of student representation and was a founder and member of the SUNY campus Non-Traditional Student Union and Students and Mothers support and advocacy group.  In addition to her degree studies and advocacy, Earleen was an avid learner and reader of psychology, art, and literature.  As a career educator and academic advisor, she retired from SUNY Oswego after serving in the Office of Special Programs, where she focused on non-traditional student needs and teaching college preparatory courses.  She later served as Academic Advisor and Admissions Representative for Nursing at Cayuga Community College.  Earleen was inspired by nature’s beauty and love of the lakeshore.  She loved to spend summer days with her young family at “her beach” near the Loop, teaching them to be creative with beach stones, find fossils, and play in the waves-all while enjoying a full day together for the cost of a pack of hot dogs and buns.  Her life was marked by creativity and imagination for crafts and artistic pursuits, including painting, photography, sewing, rock tumbling and jewelry making, and loved to bring home new crafts for her kids and neighborhood children to try.  She delighted in recalling how she designed her high school prom decorations around an “:Under the Sea” theme.  Earleen Made extravagant Halloween costumes for her children and loved to give out Trick or Treat candy and go among her students on the SUNY campus disguised as The Little Hobo.  She made Christmas and birthdays joyful and abundant, making gifts and Christmas ornaments for the children of family and friends.  Her Christmas Eve open house celebrations were widely attended and made for many joyful and often hilarious memories through the years.

Earleen was predeceased by her husband and best friend:  William R. DeForest Jr., and her beloved daughter:  Cynthia Ann DeForest.

She is survived by her children:  Linda M. DeForest of Fulton, NY and William R. DeForest of Poultney, Vermont; her brothers:  Robert Brundage and James Brundage; and her grandson:  Samuel J. Peden to whom she was a devoted Mimi.  Earleen leaves many cherished friends, colleagues, students and advisees, and countless others she welcomed into her life as family.

In our loss, our hearts are gladdened that Earleen was loved and cared for by so many.  We are especially grateful to the nurses and staff of Seneca Hill Manor, Oswego who showered her with love and eased her passing.

A private Funeral Service will be held at the convenience of the family.

Burial will be conducted privately.

There will be no Calling Hours.

The Sugar & Scanlon Funeral Home 147 W. 4^th St., Oswego has care of the arrangements.

In lieu of flowers please consider making a donation in Earleen DeForest’s name to the Oswego Health Foundation Endowment Fund:  110 W. Sixth St. Oswego, NY 13126.

Source URL: https://oswegocountytoday.com/obituaries/funeral-homes/sugar-and-sugar-scanlon-funeral-homes/earleen-deforest/

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