Ronnie "Bill" Charles Voorheis

Ronnie Charles “Bill” Voorheis; age 91; of Oxford, passed away Wednesday, July 8, 2026. Bill was born on May 26, 1935 in Pontiac, Michigan, the son of William and Eva (Highfield) Voorheis. The Voorheis name is well known in Waterford Township, where Bill spent nearly his entire life. James K Voorheis, Bill’s grandfather, was an early settler in the area and both Voorheis Road and the James K subdivision were named after him. Bill’s father died young, which was hard on the family, but he and his brothers were industrious boys and skilled outdoorsmen. They learned to trap muskrats, running their trap lines early in the morning, changing out of their frozen pants and shoes before heading to school. They figured out that they could get a better price for their skins from a buyer in New York, who gave them top dollar because the skins were so carefully processed and shipped.

Entering the army at 17, Bill ventured far from home, serving in Linz, Austria, where he met his future wife, Anna. He went back to school after the service, earning a BS in Industrial Management from Lawrence Technical University. His degree led to a career at Chrysler, where he was the plant manager at the McGraw Glass plant. After retiring from Chrysler, he took a management job with Harley-Davidson, where company rides through the Pennsylvania countryside were the best job perk a guy could ask for.

Hunting and fishing were lifelong passions. He taught his children to fish as preschoolers and he continued to hunt and fish with them and his grandchildren for many, many years. The family spent summers at their cabin at Canada Creek Ranch, a hunting and fishing club in northern Michigan. He loved fishing in Florida, too, and moose hunting in Newfoundland. Bill was a great storyteller, a funny and engaging man who always had a joke ready. He could talk to anyone and usually did. No job was too big, possibly because he didn’t consider obstacles to be worth worrying about. His cabin needed a crawl space, so he dug one himself, by hand, enlarging the space as he went and shoring up the walls from within. This did result in him being buried up to his chest several times, when the walls caved in. But someone always came by to dig him out. He was optimistic, industrious, and always ready to help others.

Bill’s wife of 71 years, Anna, preceded him in death in March, just four months ago. He always said that he would not want to live without her. Surviving are their four children, Annemarie (John) Hohman of Ann Arbor, Steven (Catherine) Voorheis of Lake Orion, Mary Elizabeth “Lisa” Voorheis of Brighton, and Daphne (Jon) Dolbee of Atlanta, Michigan. Opa to six grandchildren, Marie (Brian) Engel, Rachel (Nick) Gurica, Keith (Emily) Voorheis, Katie (Daryl) Heyboer, Philip (Alicia) Voorheis, Benjamin (Chelsea) Hirshberg; 15 great grandchildren, sister Sharon Bredow, half-siblings David and Christine Briggs, and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brothers James K and Daniel. Tributes can be made at www.sparksgriffin.com.

Funeral services will be held Thursday, July 23, 2026, at 11:00 AM, at Sparks-Griffin Funeral Home, 111 East Flint Street, Lake Orion. Burial in Rose Township Cemetery will take place later this summer at a time and date to be announced. Visitation will be held at the funeral home Thursday, July 23, 2026 from 10:00 AM until the time of the service.