For almost three decades, Marysue Forrest owned and operated The Bookery, a beloved bookstore at 107 W. Nelson St. known among students and residents for its stacks of books from floor to ceiling and its dark-academic ambience. She died peacefully on April 27 at the age of 77.
She is survived by her daughter, Leigh Forrest, who now owns The Bookery, and her son, Keith Forrest. Marysue Forrest also had two granddaughters, Zoe Comstock and Kacie Comstock, who affectionately called her Grandmere.
Forrest was born in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 26, 1947, and was adopted at age 3 by Ruth and Richard Mutispaugh. She was raised in Lexington, where she attended local public schools, and later graduated from James Madison University with a bachelor’s degree in English.
She was married for 16 years to Virginia Military Institute graduate R.C. Forrest III. The couple moved around the country 26 times before ending their marriage. Afterward, Forrest and her children lived in Texas for six years.
She returned to Lexington in 1992 to help care for her aging father and began working at the local bookstore. Four years later, with help from her friend James Bakner, Forrest became the owner of the store, now known as The Bookery.
The Bookery was the first place in Lexington where people could get physical copies of many national newspapers. Forrest helped bring important news to the community that residents may not have otherwise received, the shop’s current owner said.
Despite the “organized chaos” of the store, Leigh Forrest said, her mother knew where every title could be found. Her love for reading began in third grade when she discovered “The Wizard of Oz” by L. Frank Baum. She remained a lifelong reader and favored classic novels. Her daughter remembers her often saying, “There are no bad books.”
Forrest developed professional friendships with famed Lexington artists Cy Twombly and Sally Mann, both of whom often signed their art books for The Bookery.
She never owned a computer and did all of her business by hand in notebooks. She was a competitive businesswoman who embraced the challenges of entrepreneurship, said Leigh Forrest.
Marysue Forrest will be remembered as a businesswoman, mother and lover of books. Her legacy lives on in her store: “She is The Bookery,” her daughter said. To honor her life, her family encourages continued support of The Bookery and indulging in the simple joy of reading.
