FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 20, 2025

K-WINGS MOURN LOSS OF ALAN ‘GRAMPS’ FORRESTER

KALAMAZOO, MI – It’s with great sadness that the Kalamazoo Wings, proud ECHL affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks (NHL), mourn the loss of Alan ‘Gramps’ Forrester, who passed away at 90 years old earlier this week.

Gramps served the team as a hockey operations volunteer across multiple decades, and his contributions to team morale were immeasurable. Always equipped with a joke and a smile, he possessed a superpower-like ability to connect with anyone at anytime. 

Forrester was known throughout professional hockey and even rubbed shoulders with Mr. Hockey (Gordie Howe). In 2022-23, the team unofficially dubbed Gramps their Assistant Head Equipment Manager. He was also named in the team’s end-of-the-season honors as the K-Wings 'Unsung Hero' award winner that season. 

"Gramps was more than a volunteer to our team,” said Joel Martin, Kalamazoo Wings Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations. “Gramps was my friend. He embodied everything that’s good in our game and what it means to be an elite human. This is a tough time for the entire organization, especially our past and present staff & players. Our deepest condolences go out to Gramps’ entire family.” 

Born and raised in Saskatchewan, Canada, Forrester first came to the United States as a student studying medicine at the University of Washington, before serving as an Army medic in the Korean War. After the war, Gramps finished his degree and began working with The Upjohn Company as a Medical Editor, transferring to Kalamazoo in 1972.

After retirement, at age 55, Gramps began volunteering with the K-Wings and the Kairos Dwelling, a hospice care facility. He pulled back from the K-Wings in the mid-2000’s, but returned ahead of the 2022-23 season. 

“Gramps meant everything to me personally and professionally,” said Austin Dykstra, former K-Wings Head Equipment Manager (2022-25), now with the Columbus Blue Jackets (NHL) equipment staff. “He taught me the importance of a positive and humorous presence in not just the room, but in life. I’m going to miss our year-round time spent together more than anything, yet I will carry his memory in every walk of my life.”

Forrester lived in the Kalamazoo area until his death, and is survived by two daughters, Maurya & Karen, six grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Mary; son, Ian; two brothers, John and Lionel; and nephew Glen Forrester.

The K-Wings take the ice Saturday at 8 p.m. EST against the Bloomington Bison at Grossinger Motors Arena.

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The Kalamazoo Wings are a professional hockey team based in southwest Michigan, having been a staple in the Kalamazoo, MI, professional sports landscape since 1974. The K-Wings compete in the ECHL and are the AA affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Vancouver Canucks and the American Hockey League’s Abbotsford Canucks. Kalamazoo plays its 36 regular-season home games at Wings Event Center from October through April.

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