Marie-Therese “Miette” Forhan

Wellsville, NY - Marie-Therese “Miette” Forhan, 95, of 5 Meadowbrook Court, passed away on Tuesday, May 17, 2016 at Jones Memorial Hospital with friends and family at her side. She was born March 21, 1921 in Lyon, France, the daughter of Marius and Margaruite Fournier-Perrin. On July 21, 1947 she married Eugene Timothy Forhan at the Immaculate Conception Church in Wellsville, who predeceased her on April 15, 1996.

Miette is survived by five children, Michael Forhan and his wife Karen of Baldwinsville, NY, Anne Andrianos and her husband Daniel of Syracuse, NY, Timothy Forhan and his wife Sheri of Pocatello, ID, Paul Forhan and his wife Ivelisse of Yorktown Heights, NY and Michelle Raptis and her husband Michael of Wellsville, 16 grandchildren, a great grandson, a niece, Cecile Scheurer and a great niece, Stephane Scheurer of St. Julien and Seysell, France respectively.

Miette was raised in a small village like Wellsville, called Seysell, in the Rhone Alps region of France, on the banks of the Rhone River. Like the Genesee, the Rhone flows thought the heart of Seysell.  She met Gene at a tea, arranged by her mother, for the officers of the U.S. Army Air Corps during the liberation of France. A War Bride, she arrived in New York City on June 30, 1947. 

A woman of high principles and great faith, she viewed motherhood as her sacred mission. She was a fearlessly devoted spouse and she instilled lasting values in her children. Her unwavering message was,”Love One Another” and “Forgive, Forget and Accept.” She brought the gift of French cuisine to Wellsville, to the delight of her family friends and neighbors. She was a nurse’s aide, who assisted many local families as a private duty nurse. She was an active volunteer as a Cub Scout Den Mother and a Girl Scout leader. After Gene retired from First Trust Union Bank, they moved to Bemus Point, where she founded an Alzheimer support group in Chautauqua County. She and Gene returned to Wellsville in 1988, and after Gene suffered a stroke in 1990, Miette cared for him tirelessly for six years. Miette was a communicant of the Immaculate Conception Church and a generous supporter of Catholic education.

Friends are invited to call on Friday, May 20, 2016 from 2:00 to 4:00 and 7:00 to 9:00 pm at the J. W. Embser Sons Funeral Home Inc. in Wellsville. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, May 21st at 1:00 pm in the Immaculate Conception Church in Wellsville. Burial will be in the Sacred Heart Cemetery. Please consider memorial donations, in lieu of flowers, to the Tuition Angels of the Immaculate Conception School, The Allegany County Association for the Blind, or the David A. Howe Public Library. To leave online condolences, please visit www.embserfuneralhome.com.