James B. Voorhies

Everyone knew James Brotis Voorhies as a friend. He had many! But he was my Pappaw. He was there at the hospital the day I was born. He had no children but I was his granddaughter. He loved to tell everyone that, showing off my photos in his wallet. He & his late wife, my Grandmaw, Ray Nell, always went to Grandparents Day in elementary school & spent holidays with me & my parents until recently. I have so many happy memories, staying the night at their house, eating bacon for breakfast, playing games, hiding under his chair, riding his tractor, counting bunnies, finding crawdads, learning to skip, catching my first fish in their pond, etc. I was little when my Mom, their niece, Judy, who they considered a daughter, helped them buy & move into the first ever home they owned. They were so proud of that house. I can remember my Mom painting the walls & I accidentally stuck my foot in a gallon of paint! His house was like another home I grew up in. Grandmaw & Pappaw loved to retell all our family stories. His own childhood was very difficult. He was abandoned by his father & his mother died when he was young. He was shuffled from one house to another & truly never had a home until with Grandmaw. I believe that's why family was so incredibly important to him. Grandmaw was the love of his life. They were always together. When she passed the day after Grandparents Day in 2013, it was really rough. We visited her headstone often. He spent many, many days at my parents’ house with our family. My Mom & I made a promise to Grandmaw that we would take care of Papaw. We fulfilled that promise for 8 years & I believe she understands that. I would see him weekly & he jokingly called me his personal doctor & pharmacist. He was always so appreciative & loving. We spent a lot of time talking about the past. I loved listening to all his tales & learning more about our family history. Our visits always ended with hugs & kisses. I will treasure our time together forever. The last few years have been very difficult. But it didn’t change the love we shared. Family was truly the most important thing to Pappaw. Me too. Our family photos are all over his house. He was my last grandparent. Pappaw passed the day after my birthday. Our shared August birthdays were always special. I’m really glad he got to spend time with my daughter, his great granddaughter, Annelise. That brought him great joy & she loved him too! I’m really glad he’s reunited with Grandmaw now. I miss you & love you…

He was a true outdoorsman, and when he would come to see me for medical issues, instead of focousing on what ailed him, he would prefer to ask how my 'boy' was doing, who is a young hunter and wildlife biologist. After a couple tales to share between the two of them, with me as middleman, we'd finally get to whatever the doctor visit was for.

I enjoyed my time caring for Jimmy. He was a kind man who did not meet a stranger. He had many stories of his life which wasn’t always easy. It saddens me to hear of his passing, but believe there was a beautiful reunion with his wife and loved ones who went before him. I’m sending prayers for those who loved him.

Please accept our deepest condolences for your family's loss.