Patty Voorhees

Patricia Kiku Voorhees was born in Osaka, Japan on March 11, 1922. Kiku is Japanese for chrysanthemum, and Patty had a lifelong appreciation for the art and culture of her birthplace. Her father, James Ekin Detweiler, served as a Presbyterian minister in Japan, where her mother, Ernestine V. Grigsby Detweiler, raised and oversaw the education of Patty and her three siblings. The family relocated to the United States in 1924 and lived in Fresno, California; Pittsburg, Pennsylvania; St. Louis, Missouri; Evanston, Illinois; and Dallas, Texas. After graduating from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Patty adventurously accepted a teaching post in Hagerman, New Mexico. Following a move to Albuquerque, New Mexico, she met Daniel Baldwin Voorhees, whom she married on August 5, 1945. They lived, taught, and raised their son, Fred, in Raton, Albuquerque, and Roswell, New Mexico. Patty lived in Roswell for almost 50 years and formed many close friendships while dancing with the Rac-a-Tap dancers of Roswell, meeting with her coffee club, worshipping at Westminster Presbyterian Church, and participating in the local PEO chapter. She had an interest in calligraphy, origami, watercolor painting, Masterpiece Theatre, and especially dance. Recently, she relocated to Austin, Texas to be near family. At her home at The Atria at The Arboretum, she continued pursuing her creative interests in dance, painting, and creating handmade cards with pressed flowers. She passed away peacefully on May 25, 2016.

Patty is preceded in death by her parents; her brother, James Detweiler; her sisters, Peggy Hayes and Bobbie McBeath; and her husband.

Patty is survived by her son, Fred James Voorhees, and his wife, Beth, of Austin, Texas; her grandchildren, Mary Voorhees Meehan and husband Sean of Brooklyn, New York; Robert Daniel Voorhees of Dallas, Texas; and Patricia Voorhees Burnight and husband Adam of Rogers, Arkansas; and four great grandchildren, Elizabeth and Daniel Meehan; and Bates and Walker Burnight. She is also survived by nieces and nephews, to whom she was very close.

A memorial service is scheduled for 11:00 a.m., Saturday, June 11, 2016 at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Roswell, New Mexico. Friends may make memorials to Westminster Presbyterian Church.

Additionally, a memorial service is scheduled for 2:30 p.m., Saturday, June 18, 2016 at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Austin, Texas. Friends may make memorials to Covenant Presbyterian Church or Hospice Austin.