William Clayton Forrest, 76, passed away unexpectedly at home on Good Friday,

April 3, 2026. William resided in Smithfield for the past 30 years, previously residing

in Providence, RI. He was born in Providence, RI, on May 4, 1949. He was the son of

the late Ernest William and Cecile Anne Forrest. He was also predeceased by his

beloved dog, Marble. He leaves behind his beloved sister and caretaker, Denise L.

Prata, and her husband, Mario D. Prata, Jr., Rescue Captain HJFC, of Coventry, RI.

William was a lifelong communicant of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish.

William graduated from Our Lady of Lourdes School in June 1963, from Mount

Pleasant High School in June 1967, from Rhode Island Junior College (now CCRI) in

June 1970 with an Associate in Arts Degree, and from the Attleboro Vocational

Technical School in September 2000 with a Landscape/Greenhouse Certificate.

William was employed by various employers throughout his life, namely, Mt. Pleasant

Aluminum, DAL Manufacturing, the USPS as a mail carrier, Speidel Textron as a

toolmaker, William Bloom, Architectural Store Designs, Attleboro Vocational Technical

School, and Providence College, Schneider Arena in Rink Operations, retiring at the

age of 68.

William was an avid sports fan his entire life, wanting to be a sports

announcer/journalist; however, life had other plans for him. He loved all sports,

especially hockey and football; however, hockey was his all-time favorite. He loved

the Providence Bruins, Boston Bruins, and the New York Giants. He especially

loved the Providence College Men’s Ice Hockey Team. He was a long-time Season

Ticket holder for 40 years.

William enjoyed landscaping, lighthouses, and just being outdoors. He enjoyed the

simple things in life. To honor and pay respect to William, just remember to be kind

and love one another, and to enjoy the great outdoors.

William’s sister and brother-in-law would also like to express their sincere thanks to

Dr. Raffi Calikyan and his associates, as well as the Third Pavilion Staff at Our

Lady of Fatima Hospital for the wonderful care he received while he was a patient

there.

William’s Visitation will be held Thursday, April 9, 2026, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Mount Pleasant Funeral and Cremation Service, 168 Academy Ave, Providence. His Funeral will be held on Friday, April 10, 2026, at 9 a.m. from the Funeral Home, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, 901 Atwells Ave, Providence. Burial will take place at St Ann Cemetery, Cranston.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in William’s name to the Our Lady of

Lourdes Memorial Fund, 901 Atwells Avenue, Providence, RI, 02909, or the Providence

College Friar Forever Athletic Fund. For further information and condolences, please

visit mountpleasantfh.com.