Lawrence 'Larry' H. Voorhees
It is with great sadness that we said farewell to Lawrence “Larry” Voorhees suddenly on April 6, 2021, at Hospice House. He was a World War II Veteran and one of the remaining few of the Greatest Generation.
Lawrence was born on Sept. 8, 1926, in Easton, Pa. In September 1943 he joined the U.S. Navy. He served active duty aboard the USS Lassen (AE-3), an ammunition ship, in the Pacific. He re-enlisted after four years and spent a total of six years in the military.
After the war he married and had two daughters, Diane and Anita, with his first wife.
While living in California he attended Northrop Aeronautical Institute and was licensed by the Federal Government to work on aircraft engines. He went to work at Lockheed Aircraft in 1951 for 10 years. Next, he started and operated Northwest Power & Equipment, installing industrial generators, and he sold the business in 1972.
While raising his daughters in California, there were numerous fishing and camping trips, and a lot of travel.
Larry met his second and current wife, Janet, in 1971 and they were married at the Church of the Nazarene in Mountain View, Calif., on May 6, 1972. He became a stepfather to her three children and would raise a second family. They enjoyed an eight week honeymoon road trip in his 1969 GMC truck and camper, from California to New Jersey, through the New England States, back across Canada, and finally into Coeur d’Alene, Janet’s hometown. He fell in love with the area and they moved to Coeur d’Alene in 1973.
In May of 1973 he purchased Inland Heating & Cooling, Inc. He owned and operated the business for 19 years. He and his wife were members of the North Idaho Building Contractors and the Sunset Commercial Club. They attended the Church of the Nazarene for more than 35 years, where he accepted his Savior, Jesus Christ.
In 1978 Larry, Janet and family moved into their home on Government Way. In the early 1980s he surprised his stepchildren with a boat on Christmas morning. They enjoyed summer outings on Priest River, Hayden Lake and Coeur d’Alene Lake. His love for camping and fishing continued for many years and some of the epic adventures were the Calgary Stampede in 1975, Yellowstone National Park, and Payette Lake in McCall, Idaho.
Larry retired in 1991. He joined the AE Sailors Association and he and Janet traveled to several annual reunions. Some notable destinations were New Orleans, Washington D.C., and Baltimore (and he visited Annapolis Naval Academy where he went through boot camp).
Larry could repair, replace and fix most anything, and his family called him “Mr. Fix-it.” Some of his favorite pastimes were playing pinochle, cribbage, coin collecting, huckleberry picking, watching Seahawks and Packers games, and occasional trips to the casino.
He truly lived a full and wonderful life! May he rest in peace.
Larry is survived by his wife; daughters, Diane and husband, Grant Loeffler, and Anita and husband, Bruce Jackson; stepson, Jeff and wife, Brenda Smith; stepdaughters, Jena and Salomon Lopez, Julie and husband, Darrin Murphey; mother-in-law, Hattie Gottschalk; brothers-in-law, Dan Miller, Steve and wife, Bonnie Miller; and sister-in-law, Rosemary and husband, Jim Ferrie; 11 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
Special thanks to the V.A. of Spokane and Coeur d’Alene for the special care he was given, and to Hospice House and English Funeral Home.
A graveside memorial at Forest Cemetery will take place at 2 p.m on Friday, June 18, 2021, with a celebration of life later that day, from 5-8: p.m., at the Lake City Senior Center.
