John M. Vorhes

John (Jack) McCormick Vorhes passed away peacefully Monday, Aug. 5, 2013 at Edgewater.  A memorial service will be held Thursday, Aug. 15, at 2 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center at Edgewater, 9225 Cascade 

Ave., West Des Moines, Iowa.  A private interment will be at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery in Van Meter, Iowa.

Jack was born Sept. 2, 1931 in Athens, Ohio, to Harold and Frances Vorhes.  He grew up living in Cincinnati, Ohio, and St. Louis, Mo., before moving to Dubuque, Iowa, where he graduated from Dubuque Senior High School in 1950.  

Prior to serving in the U.S. Army, Jack was a student at Drake University where he was a member of Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity.  Jack then married Jane Kerrigan of Dubuque on Dec. 28, 1955.  Vorhes Chemical Corporation was organized at that time, leading to a career in marketing of agricultural chemicals.  During his career Clear Lake, Iowa, became home for 40 years.  Living on the beautiful lake was a great joy! Jack and Jane also owned a business in Bayfield, Wis., where they lived for 14 years.

Those left to honor Jack’s memory include his wife, Jane; his daughter, Molly (Tom) Sullivan, their daughters Annie and Meghan of Des Moines, Iowa; his son, Peter (Jeanne) Vorhes, their children Maggie and John of Maui, Hawaii; his sister, Patricia Henderson of Columbia, Mo.; and many nieces and nephews.

Memorial gifts may be sent to the Association for the Preservation of Clear Lake, P.O. Box 54, Clear Lake, Iowa 50428 or Edgewater’s Good Samaritan Fund, 9225 Cascade Ave., West Des Moines, Iowa 50266.