Celebration of Life Set for Dr. Jeff Forsse on March 2; Baylor Mourns Death of HHPR Faculty Member

UPDATE: A celebration of life service for Dr. Jeff Forsse will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 2, at Highland Baptist Church, 1900 N. 30th St., Waco, TX 76707, with pastor John Durham officiating. The family will receive visitors from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, March 1, 2024, at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Funeral Home, 6101 Bosque Blvd., Waco, TX 76710. Dr. Forsse's full obituary is available on the Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Funeral Home website. In addition, a fund has been set up to help the Forsse Family at Security Bank of Texas, FBO Erin Forsse, P.O. Box 90, Crawford, Texas 76638. 
 

WACO, Texas (Feb. 26, 2024) - Baylor University is mourning the death of Jeff Forsse, Ph.D., clinical assistant professor in the Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation in Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences. Dr. Forsee died tragically in a farming accident on Feb. 24.

The Chaplain’s office will lead a gathering of support and prayer at 3:30 p.m. today for Robbins College colleagues and students who were connected and close to Dr. Forsse. At this time, services for Dr. Forsse are pending, but the University will share that information when it becomes available.

Dr. Forsse earned his Ph.D. from Baylor in kinesiology and exercise science in 2018, and he continued with Baylor as a faculty member and for a time as director of the Baylor Laboratories for Exercise Science and Technology (BLEST) labs.

As a clinical assistant professor and vital member of the HHPR team, Dr. Forsse was a beloved teacher who poured into his HHPR graduate and undergraduate students.

“Dr. Jeff Forsse was a remarkable faculty member. He beamed with joy through his teaching, research and service. He was incredibly student focused—whether it be through research mentorship, trainings or engaging students in professional conferences and activities,” said Robbins College Dean Jason R. Carter, Ph.D. “Jeff often talked about how his faith informed his research and teaching. He will be dearly missed, and his family will remain in our thoughts and prayers.”

Dale Connally, Ph.D., professor and chair of the HHPR department, said that Dr. Forsse was a student favorite in the classroom, involving undergraduate exercise physiology students in a successful clinical community outreach program.

“Jeff helped plan and supervised the construction of the Mooney Lab for Exercise, Nutrition and Biochemistry, which is critical to the research mission of our faculty members and doctoral students,” Connally said. “Jeff was also an active researcher. I think what impressed me most was his investment in mentoring and sharing his faith with our graduate students. He loved being at Baylor where he could provide this type of ministry as a scholar teacher. We are praying God’s peace and comfort for his family.”

During this difficult time, please continue to keep Jeff’s colleagues, students and his family close in prayer, especially his wife, Erin, and their two young daughters.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.