Family pay tribute to 'devoted father' Dane Forester

Police have named a man who died after a crash near Okehampton on Sunday, September 3.

Dane Forester, 35, from Okehampton, suffered serious injuries when he was involved in a two-vehicle collision at around 4.40pm on the B3215 near Sampford Courtenay.

He was airlifted to hospital where he later died.

The family of Mr Forester have paid tribute to him.

They said: “Dane Forester, who died aged 35, was an award-winning tattoo artist and loving father to two daughters aged 10 and 8.

“Dane moved to Devon from West Sussex ten years ago, living first in South Zeal and then in Okehampton.

“He established Image Tattoo studio in Exeter which soon became very successful. His work was in high demand and his style was sought after by many clients.

“He was joined by several other artists and loved his business. He won several awards for his artistic talent.

“Dane was a devoted father to his two daughters, a committed and thoughtful Dad who was always there for them.

“When not tattooing, he could be doing anything from climbing mountains - having recently climbed in Iceland; fishing, and a passion for keeping fit.

“Not just a tattoo artist, he also did sign writing and had just begun motorbike resprays which were already sought after.

“He enjoyed life to the full, from an evening of poker with friends, to distilling his own rum and gin, to competing in a strong man competition.

“Dane will be very deeply missed by his family, his work family, and all his friends.”

Officers continue to make enquiries to establish the circumstances of the collision.

If you witnessed the incident or have any information or dashcam footage that could help with enquiries, please contact police via our website here or by calling 101 quoting log 641 of 3/9/23.