Fred Forbes

Mr. Fred Fenton Forbes, III, age 63, of Covington, died Saturday, March 14, 2026, at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, Roanoke. He was the husband of Rebecca Moseley Forbes.

Mr. Forbes was born May 8, 1962 in Clifton Forge, the son of Fred Fenton Forbes, Jr. and the late Bettie Stone Forbes. He was a lifetime resident of this community. Mr. Forbes was employed as a crew foreman for Lanford Brothers for a number of years before his retirement. In 2021, shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions began to ease and Covington City Council reinstituted in-person meetings again, Fred became a regular attendee. "I don't know what I can do to help the city if I don't come to meetings and learn what the city does," Fred said to council soon after he began attending meetings.

Even before his election to Covington City Council, Fred pushed for and saw the passage of a resolution by council marking March 14 each year as Fallen Officer's Day in the city of Covington following the line-of-duty death of a Covington Police Department officer.

In 2022, with the retirement of then-District 2 representative Allan Tucker, Fred ran and was elected to Covington City Council for a term in his own right, beginning a brief, but impactful, tenure representing his constituents and the residents of the city of Covington.

He took his seat on Covington City Council on Jan. 1, 2023. From the start, Fred took an active role in understanding his responsibilities as an elected official and how he could use that role to benefit the city. He took positions on various committees and boards and became a regular fixture at ribbon cuttings and area events, promoting not only the city but also the regional cooperation built over the previous decade between the city and Alleghany County.

In January 2025, he was appointed vice-mayor of the city of Covington by the members of city council. Following the unexpected passing of mayor Lance Carson in July 2025, Fred assumed the role of mayor of the city of Covington, a position he never sought but swore to perform to the best of his ability.

Those who served with Fred, or those who encountered Fred during his service on Covington City Council almost unanimously remember Fred as genuine, a person who wanted to serve others with no self-serving agenda. Despite only serving one term on Covington City Council, Fred's contributions to the betterment of the city and her residents will be felt for many years to come.

In his spare time, Fred enjoyed hunting, spending time in the woods and cutting firewood. In recent years, he had spent time involved in the sport of drag racing where he loved driving the cars down the tracks.

In addition to his wife and his father, Mr. Forbes is survived by a son, Fred Fenton Forbes, IV of Roanoke; two daughters, Heather Forbes Wright of Roanoke and Brittany Latasha Forbes; four grandchildren; three sisters, Elizabeth Forbes Hatfield and husband, Gary of Troutville, Carla Forbes Arritt and husband, Kirk of Covington, LeAnn Forbes Stout and husband, Jeremy of Covington; and a number of nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be conducted at a later date.

Arrangements are being handled by Loving Funeral Home; to view Fred's memorial tribute page, please visit www.lovingfuneralhome1913.com.