He received his associate degree in nursing from the Kalamazoo Valley Community College.
LaForge also went to Western Michigan University and the Bronson Hospital School of Nursing.
He also worked as a plumber and served in the Michigan National Air Guard from 1954 to 1960.
Due to term limits, he stepped down and subsequently ran for the state senate in 2002, although his campaign was unsuccessful.
[2][3] LaForge had been battling heart disease and passed away at his home in Lawton, Michigan, on January 19, 2018, at the age of 82.