AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums About Belize Gone but not forgotten Mr. Allan Foreman passes

Allan was one of the first people that befriended us when we started coming to Ambergris.... a chunk is missing from my heart today.... patient, funny, i will miss him greatly.... early trips to the Blue Hole in broken funky boats, didn't phase him a bit. keep chugging.... Condolences to his family... Marty

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It is with much regret that we announce the sad passing of Mr. Alan Foreman Sr. Mr. Foreman passed this morning at 8am whilst in his sleep. There will be a wake service held tonight at the Foreman Residence in San Pablo. Funeral services will be tomorrow September 27th at 11am. All family and friends are called to this announcement. The San Pedro Sun offers its most sincere condolences to the family and friends of the late Mr. Alan Foreman.

San Pedro Sun

Here's an old story from the website.... written in 1998

Meet Mr. Alan Forman

Mr Allan Forman and other founders of the Caribbean Fishing Co-op

Meet Mr. Allan Forman. Mr. Allan Forman was born and raised in San Pedro. He married his wife Helen and had six children: Clive, Delsie, Norma Jean, Betty Anne, Drury and Helen Anne. Mr. Allan Forman's parents were also originally from San Pedro; his other was a Henkis and his father a Forman. His great grandfather was born Belgian and his grandmother was East Indian.

Mr. Forman was at one time a fisherman, like most men in San Pedro during that time, but he was also an ambitious business man. In 1969 he opened a two room hotel next to his family home on Pescador Drive and called it Coral Beach. Mr. Forman also constructed a small restaurant, and according to him, it was the first restaurant in San Pedro.

"The tourism industry was young those days," Mr. Forman recalled. The tourists that came to San Pedro ere a different type of tourist. They wanted a little piece of paradise. They wanted San Pedro all to themselves and they didn't want news about this paradise to spread."

A dive shop was constructed along with the hotel and restaurant and was managed by Mr. Forman himself He was an outstanding diver and fondly re- recalls what diving was like in the 60's. "We use to dive the same places people are diving now. There were very few dive shops then and so the business was good. There was about the same amount of divers diving now but we have so many dive shops that the number of customers per dive shop seems far less than it was in the early days."

In 1993 Mr. Forman was named a Platinum Pro 5000 diver by SCUBA School International. The prestigious award is presented annually to an outstanding diver who completes 5000 dives. According to Mr. Forman, there are only two other men in Belize who have been presented with the Platinum Pro award: Mr. Dave Benette and Mr. Ray Bowers.

In 1981, The Tackle Box Bar was opened by the Forman family. This San Pedro landmark was for years a monumental attraction. People Who visited San Pedro had to visit The Tackle Box. Why? Well, maybe it had to do with its location. The bar sat at the end of a pier facing the Belize Barrier Reef and the lustrous Caribbean Sea. Or, maybe it had to do with great service, delicious piña colada, and a fantastic atmosphere? Or perhaps, it had to do with their famous aquarium. Below the front porch of the bar was an enclosed aquarium where a dolphin, turtles, sharks, eels and a magnificent array of fish lived. As a matter of fact, many people visited The Tackle Box not to drink but to stare at the awesome creatures. One didn't have to travel to Hol Chan or get wet in order get a glimpse of some of Belize's impressive marine life. In 1993 the aquarium was destroyed and the fish found new homes. The Tackle Box was sold in early June, 1998, to Mr. Giovanni Marin - a local businessman and artist.

The Coral Beach Dive Shop is now a successlful 21 room establishment with a restaurant and the dive shop. Mr. Forman no longer dives, and is looking forward to retirement. He can be found most of the time in the lobby at the Coral Beach Hotel talking with friends or at the dive shop lounging on the pier.

AmbergrisCaye.com

Another good story here: https://AmbergrisCaye.com/photogallery/100128.html

Here's the original website for Coral Beach ... https://ambergriscaye.com/coralbeachORIG/

The end of an era.
Mr. Forman and his children and staff welcomed me like family when I first arrived here in 2000. Many memorable dives on the Offshore Express and may afternoons spent talking on the dock.
My condolences to the Forman family.

Mr. Forman's funeral mass has been rescheduled to 11:00 a.m. today.

Tio Allan Forman, as he was affectionately known by the younger generation, was a personal friend of mine. He was an exceptional community leader for those that worked with him. I feel profound sorrow over his passing away but he has joined his best friend, my dad, the late Captian John Eiley. May their souls rest in eternal peace and rise in Glory.

He will be greatly missed.

A whole generation is passing from our midst. Have we learned all we could from them - and can we hold true to the best parts of the past? Hope so.

Mr. Allan Forman was eulogized as a San Pedro hero by his best friend Mr. Leo Cuellar at the Mass of Resurrection celebrated by Father Arturo A�onuevo on Tuesday, September 27, at the San Pedro Roman Catholic Church.

Cuellar quoted from the local Newspaper Ambergris Today that featured Mr. Forman as "Un Orgullo Sanpedrano." Allan Forman grew up in San Pedro in the coconut industry and later on in fishing. As an activist Mr. Forman was a pioneer in the founding of the San Pedro Fishing Cooperative, Caribe�a. Later on he was also a pioneer in the tourism industry and founded the local chain of hotels, restaurants, gift shops and even dive shop operations known as Coral Beach Hotel.

After the founding of San Pedro High School, Mr. Forman was instrumental as Chairman of the Building Committee in fundraising and construction of San Pedro High School. Mr. Forman was also instrumental in bringing the Lionism to San Pedro. As a member of the Belize City Lions Club, his club chartered the San Pedro Lions Club in 1975.

Besides being an exemplary father and spouse, Mr. Forman was responsible for emceeing in the early days of San Pedro, was a community activist, owner of the famous Tackle Box, and Dive Shop operations. In his honor San Pedro High School has a student House named in his honor, a name that will remain for life to honor this local hero.

Ambergris Today extends sincere condolences to the Forman Family and extended family and friends and to the community as a whole. Rest In Eternal Peace, Mr. Allan Forman, Un Orgullo Sanpedrano.

Mr. Allan Forman with Miss World Belize

Mr. Allan Forman with Santa in San Pedro

Mr. Allan Forman was a big man in every sense of the word, here with Mexican entertainer Margarito

Mr. Allan Forman overlooking the sea at his famous Tackle Box Bar

Ambergris Today