Obituary of Kenneth B. Voorhees

Kenneth B. Voorhees, Age 84, of Horseheads, NY, passed away on September 14, 2020 at Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital in Sayre, PA. He was born on December 7, 1935 in Corning, NY, the oldest of eight children to Howard and Anna (Kahler) Voorhees. As a young man, Ken was active in the local community. From a young age he was a member of the Big Flats 4-H and in 1951 and 1953 he was one of two to represent the 4-H groups of Chemung County at the State Fair. He later served as a 4-H leader of the Tractor Club until 1963. He was appointed master of the Big Flats Grange in 1955 and was on the Big Flats Community Days planning committee during this time. He graduated from Corning Northside High School in 1953 and went on to serve in the Army Reserves from 1958 to 1962, training at Fort Dix, NJ as a specialist in the automotive maintenance division. In the 1960s he worked for E. R. Wolcott Inc. as a machine operator and went on to work at Dalrymple Gravel & Contracting for over twenty-five years before retiring in 1998. During the 1970s and 1980s he also worked part-time for Hessleson's installing pool tables and above ground swimming pools. After his retirement, Ken spent a majority of his time in the garage working on his Cub Cadet lawnmowers. Everyone in the community knew that if they needed repairs on their lawnmowers, they knew that Ken was the man. Ken was a resident of Horseheads for sixty years, proudly living in the home that he built himself. Ken is survived by his wife of 61 years, Gail; his sons, Douglas Voorhees of Waterbury, CT; Jeffery Voorhees of Highland, NY; and daughter, Debra (Brad) Kapral of Horseheads; daughter-in-law, Lauren Voorhees of Walden, NY; grandchildren, Rachel Voorhees of Jersey City, NJ; Megan Kapral of Charlotte, NC; and Matthew Voorhees of Walden, NY; as well as his siblings, Anna Russ of Big Flats, Meredith (Judy) Voorhees of Elmira, Evelyn (Mack) Rhodes of Horseheads, Edith (Dave) Reese of Pine City, Mary (Bob) Plumley of Raleigh, NC, and Donald (Kay) Voorhees of Horseheads; and several nieces and nephews. Besides his parents he was predeceased by his brother John. Family and friends are invited to call at Barber Funeral Home, 413 S. Main St., Horseheads, on Saturday, September 19th from 11:00am-1:00 pm. His service will follow at 1:00pm with family friend, Rev. Paul Mattison officiating. Burial will follow in Maple Grove Cemetery.