Forest Glen “Frosty” Durland was born in Hood River, Oregon on May 9, 1928. He passed away peacefully at home on September 18th, 2023 in Albany, Oregon while listening to piano music.

Below is a special life story prepared by his family.

“He was the 4th of 8 children born to William “Pop” Durland and Ruth “Grumpy” Weitman Durland and was the first of their children to be born in Hood River.

They were a lively, musical family. His mother taught all the children to play the piano. He wrote his first song at about age 7. He continued to compose, arrange, and perform music for the rest of his life. He played in various bands, including the Let's Dance Band in Reno as well as performing solo.

When his younger brother Gaylord was in high school, Forest wrote a song that they performed at the Oregon State Fair. Forest played the piano and Gaylord played the trumpet. They won second place.

He played piano at Reno casinos and assisted living lounges until the age of 95. He liked to see people happy which made him happy.

He enjoyed a close friendship with his housemates and property manager in Sun Valley, Nevada, as well as his musical buddies in the Reno area. He returned home to Oregon for the last two and a half months of his life and relished reconnecting with family.

He loved growing up in Hood River. It remained his favorite place as it had nice mountains and lakes, and held lots of fond memories of his close-knit family and the music they made together. Money was tight during the Depression years but they survived with a garden, fruit from the orchards, fishing, and hunting. At age 6, in 1934, his Dad took him to the train depot where they saw President Franklin D. Roosevelt passing through on a train. They waved and he waved back. Later, he worked briefly on The Dalles Dam with his brother Wes.

Forest graduated from Hood River High School in 1947. During high school, he played in a band that needed a piano player and made $15 a night. In his senior year, he was selected for the all-state band and played in a concert in Seattle.

The whole family was active in the Asbury First Methodist Church where his father was a youth leader. Forest would later play to accompany the service.

Forest served in the army from 1952 to 1954 during the Korean War. He was stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington, and at Camp Roberts, California. While in the Army Band Corp at Camp Roberts, he played the piano for actress and singer Debbie Reynolds while she performed for the troops. He cherished his signed autograph from her and proudly displayed it in the barracks.

He obtained his BA degree in Music from the University of Oregon in 1955 and went on to become a teacher. While a student there, Forest entered a contest to write music for a poem. He wrote four melodies. His nice ballad won first place and the others won honorable mentions. They were played on the radio.

He married Claire Corwin of Hood River in 1957. They would later divorce. They had three children: Craig, Darcy, and Cristy. The entire family's initials were in the musical alphabet.

Forest obtained his Master of Arts degree in Music from San Jose State College in 1961. In the summer of 1962, he was the musical director for four shows that included movie stars June Havoc, Joe E. Brown, and Jack Kelly. Allen Jenkins, and Ruth Crews.

He belonged to numerous musical organizations including Sinfonia Fraternity, Songwriters Guild of America, National Association of Orchestra Leaders, and the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers.

His hobbies included photography, traveling, hiking, shooting, camping, and the outdoors. He loved family reunions with the campfires and music. He loved composing music and playing the piano, which was his favorite thing to do.

Forest was preceded in death by his parents William and Ruth, brothers Wesley, Donald, Stanley, and Joseph, sister Ruth Anne, niece Pamela, and nephew Eddie Joe.

He is survived by sister June and brother Gaylord; sister-in-laws Mae and Lorene; children Craig, Darcy, and Cristy; grandchildren Ross, Nash, Nikki (John), and Ethan (Kelsi); and great-grandchildren Alex, Jasmyn, Kurt, Jasper, Zerakai, Adaleeya, Linkin, and Bellamy. He is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews.

A special thank you to friends and family for their love and support; his doctor and the Salem VA Clinic, Amedisys Home Health Care, and Evergreen Hospice for their care and support.

He gave us all the gift of his music.”

Services to honor and celebrate Forest are planned for 11:00 a.m., Friday, October 20th, 2023 at Anderson’s Tribute Center • 1401 Belmont Avenue, Hood River, Oregon 97031. A graveside committal service will follow at Mountain View Memorial Cemetery of Hood River, Oregon.

Visit www.AndersonsTributeCenter.com to leave a note of condolence for the family.