Obituary: Jean Forbath, founder of Share Our Selves, opened eyes to those in need

Jean Forbath — who grew a humanitarian effort from a tiny church room into the nonprofit Share Our Selves, a network of volunteers, healthcare and service providers that serves tens of thousands of people countywide — died Sunday night at age 95.

The longtime Costa Mesa resident, who experienced health complications in her later years, was surrounded by family and loved ones, who noted the devout Catholic passed on Easter, shortly after the death of Pope Francis in Vatican City.

“She’d spent all of Holy Week at home with all of her kids and grandkids,” daughter Mary Cappellini said Wednesday. “And it was just an hour after the pope — it was quite the experience.”

Jean Forbath, longtime executive director of the charity “Share Our Selves,” in 1991.

(File Photo)

Forbath was recognized by numerous honors, including Costa Mesa’s “Woman of the Year” award in 2017 and the O.C. Human Relation Commission’s “Legacy Awards,” honoring the county’s civil rights heroes.

Yet, her personal pathway of charitable service had relatively modest origins.

Inspired by a 1969 adult education class at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, in which participants pondered the social doctrines of the church, Forbath thought about how she and others could help neighbors in need.

What started out as charitable donations of food, clothing and material goods swiftly turned into a coordinated effort as participants got to know the people they were helping — and in 1970 the nonprofit Share Our Selves (SOS) was born.

“Our organization brought to the foreground that there were needs in Costa Mesa that people were closing their eyes to,” Forbath recalled in 2017.

Jean Forbath, left, with husband Frank, who passed in 2015.

(Courtesy of Mary Cappellini)

Forbath led a team of volunteers as they opened their first free medical and dental clinic in 1985 and started an “Adopt a Family” Christmas program that now benefits 1,200 families annually.

SOS today provides medical and dental care for nearly 16,000 individuals across Orange County in eight locations and provides food and financial assistance to countless others.

“We’re really staying rooted in the legacy of what the original vision was, because the need is still there today,” SOS Executive Director Christy Ward said Wednesday. “We’re doing really expansive work, but a lot of what they did still goes on — we just added to it.”

Forbath tirelessly advocated for access to affordable housing and medical care for the county’s poor, regularly appearing before the Costa Mesa City Council and Orange County Board of Supervisors.

An Adopt-A-Family Christmas donation drive at Costa Mesa’s St. John the Baptist Church in 1984 with Jean Forbath at left.

(Courtesy of Mary Capellini)

She worked as the unpaid executive director of Share Our Selves for 22 years and retired in 1991, though she remained on its board for 39 years.

In 1993, she co-founded the Costa Mesa nonprofit Save Our Youth (SOY). The group provides academic readiness and leadership opportunities to first-generation college students from low-income families, annually bestowing a “Jean Forbath Scholarship” to standout youths who strive to change the world for the better.

“When you think of Jean Forbath, everyone thinks about Share Our Selves, but I think about the big contribution she made to youth,” Joe Erickson, SOY co-founder and a former member of the Costa Mesa City Council, said Wednesday. “I’m happy she lived a good, long life and I was part of it.”

Forbath is predeceased by her husband Frank and son Joe and is survived by children Steve (and Betsy) Forbath, Kathy (and Bahram) Esfahani, Mary (and Cesar) Cappellini, Susie Forbath, Patty (and Steve) Uchytil and Brian (and Georgina) Forbath, along with 15 grandchildren.

A service is planned for May 9 at 1 p.m. at Saints Simon and Jude Catholic Church, 20444 Magnolia St., Huntington Beach. Donations may be made to Share Our Selves or Save Our Youth’s Jean Forbath Scholarship.