John S. “Jay” Forbes, Jr., of Oneida and formerly of Trumansburg, passed away at Oneida Hospital on Sunday, May 29, 2011 at the age of 51.

Born on January 30, 1960, Jay was the son of the late John and Anna (Davis) Forbes, Sr. He graduated from Trumansburg High School in 1978. Following graduation, Jay went to work as a machinist at Therm Incorporated and continued to work as a machinist at several other machine shops over the years including H&E in Danby, Storke H&E in Ithaca and Auburn, and Hartman Enterprises Inc. in Oneida.

Jay enjoyed spending time outdoors hunting deer and other various wild game and fishing. As a child, he began making knives, which remained a hobby throughout his life. In recent years, Jay had become a gunsmith and photographer.

Jay is survived by two daughters, Shannon Forbes (Greg Mayo) of Geneva and Stephanie Forbes (Matt Menotti) of Homer; a sister, Elizabeth Forbes of Ithaca; and several aunts, uncles, and cousins.

The family will be present to receive friends from 6:00 to 8:00pm on Friday, June 3, 2011 at the Ness-Sibley Funeral Home, 23 South Street, Trumansburg.

The family asks those who wish to make a contribution in Jay’s memory to kindly consider the International Dyslexia Association, 2491 Emery Road, South Wales, NY 14139.