GILFORD ---- Greg P. Voorheis, 72, of Roswell, Georgia, was welcomed home on Friday, July 23, 2021. He died peacefully, but unexpectedly while visiting family and loved ones in his beloved New England.
Greg was born on July 27, 1948, to Winifred (Palmer) Voorheis and John Voorheis in Watkins Glen, NY. Greg graduated from Watkins High School in Watkins Glen, NY in 1966, State University of New York at Oswego, magna cum laude with a B.A. in History in 1971, and went on to obtain his Master of Education from the University of Vermont in 1976.
Greg was a stranger to no one, and his warm soul made an impact on all who knew him. He was a loving and devoted partner, caring brother, loyal friend, and doting father. He took great care in choosing the “right” words when expressing himself. He was kind, nurturing, passionate, thoughtful, wise, and genuine. He was an amazing storyteller and when he laughed it was contagious. Greg had a beautiful singing voice and if you had the joy of hearing him sing you would likely remember it to this day.
Greg began his professional career as a teacher of special education at Watkins Glen High School in New York. Later, he moved to Vermont and began working for the University of Vermont, overseeing adult education programs. He became very involved in the study of how adults learn, developing and teaching groundbreaking courses for teachers in that field. Greg served for 32 years as the Senior Grants Manager, Administrator, and Planner for the Vermont Department of Labor. He consulted and worked for the Vermont Department of Children and Families and for the Community College of Vermont, both before and since his retirement. Greg had more than 30 years of experience writing grants that awarded the State of Vermont (and beyond) more than $37 million dollars. Although this may sound like a bureaucratic effort, it was never that. Throughout his life, Greg wanted to connect with his community to serve and to work in a way that mattered. He genuinely loved people, and indeed, he did make an incredible difference in the lives of so many through his work. Greg made lasting impacts in the quality of the teaching of adults, in the lives of mature or disabled workers, in the recruitment and education of nurses during critical shortages, and in the operations of the hospitals of Vermont. Greg served as the Chair of the Board, as well as Chair of Executive, Governance, and Finance Committees of the Central Vermont Medical Center. He was a Trustee of the University of Vermont Health Network Board, a Trustee of the Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems, Commissioner of the Governor’s Blue-Ribbon Commission on the Future of Nursing and served as a consultant on numerous state commissions across his professional life.
He is survived by his daughter Lindsey (David) Adams, son Timothy (Janelle) Voorheis, granddaughters Sydney and Madelyn, brothers Gary (Peggy) Voorheis, and Jeff (Lydia) Voorheis, and sisters Gaye (Paul) Fedorchak and Kelley (Rich) Parker, as well as many nephews and nieces, and his former wife, Anne (Jim) Gilson. He is predeceased, just one year ago, by his beloved partner of 20 years, William “Bill” Hill-Alto.
An intimate service of family and close friends will be held in John’s Creek, Georgia, on September 4, 2021.
In lieu of flowers, the family would prefer memorial donations to the Bill Hill-Alto Scholarship Fund of Randolph Union High School, Randolph, VT (send via mail to Randolph Union High School c/o Donna Pittsley, 15 Forest St, Randolph VT, 05060 with “Bill Hill-Alto Scholarship” in the memo line); Stephen Ministries (https://www.stephenministries.org/aboutus/default.cfm/717 Send by mail to: Stephen Ministries, 2045 Innerbelt Business Center Drive, St. Louis, Missouri 63114-5765, Phone: (314) 428-2600), or to Saint Joseph’s Hospital in Atlanta, GA (https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1705/02-health-sciences/interior-hybrid.aspx?sid=1705&gid=2&pgid=2125&cid=3552&appealcode=USJH6)
Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services and 603Cremations.com, 164 Pleasant St., Laconia, NH, 03246, is assisting the family with arrangements. For more information and to view an online memorial, please visit www.wilkinsonbeane.com.