Rebecca "Becky" Voorheis

Rebecca "Becky" Voorheis, 53, of Robinson, IL, passed away on January 8, 2026, at Good Samaritan Hospital in Vincennes, IN. She was born on September 16, 1972, in Sullivan, IN, the youngest born to John M. and Jacqueline J. (Stifle) Voorheis. Becky grew up in Robinson with the built-in privilege of being the kid sister. More than once, that meant she was the little chaperone tagging along with her sister, Vanessa, on dates with Les. And because their mom was in her 40s when Becky was born, a lot of her growing up happened in the care of older siblings who helped shape her world. Add in a cousin, Dee Dee, just a year apart, and Becky had the kind of childhood companionship that turns into lifelong closeness.

She graduated from Robinson High School in the class of 1990, and in the years that followed, Becky's life took on a few chapters that helped reveal who she already was: curious, capable, and ever-determined. She spent years in Tennessee, where she attended Bethel College, earned a degree in psychology, and built a strong work life. For several years, she held a job in quality control at Square D, and even worked for a home security company for a time, once receiving a call from Reba McEntire about her security system!

But Robinson was always home in the deepest sense, and when her dad was getting older and living on his own, Becky felt prompted to move back. Not long after, he fell and broke his neck, and it was a mercy that she was there. She got him the help he needed, and in the thick of caring for him, something became obvious to everyone around her: Becky had a gift for this. She took to nursing in a way that was both natural and fierce, the same way she took to most things once she made up her mind.

After all, she had red hair for a reason. Becky was stubborn in the best sense of the word, determined, and very hard to stop. When she decided she was going back to school to become an RN, she did it the way Becky did everything: all-in. She learned fast, retained everything, and carried herself like someone who had found her lane. Her classmates were amazed at how much she knew, and her professors were, too, because Becky did not just keep up; she set the pace. When asked how she did it, she offered that she "just read the books." It was her way of saying she was not special, she was simply committed. And she was.

By the time she stepped fully into her calling, she had already served as a CNA at Arbor Rose, where she learned that good care is not only about tasks, but about dignity. Even when memories slipped, Becky made sure worth never did. That same instinct followed her into home health through Crawford Memorial Hospital. For the last five years, she served as a home healthcare nurse, work that fit her because it let her do what she did best: walk into a room, read what was needed, and offer care to people in the place where they felt most themselves. She loved her patients, and they knew it. Becky brought skill in her hands and compassion in her presence, the kind of nurse who did not rush people through their hardest days, but stayed faithful in them.

That same heart shaped the rest of her life, too. Becky did not have children of her own, but she helped raise many of her nieces and nephews, loving them with a kind of devotion that felt like family and friendship all at once. In some ways, she was like a big sister to them, partly because she was closer to their ages than to her own siblings. She liked to play games, sit around and talk, and be present in the ordinary moments that somehow become the ones you remember most. And if Becky loved you, you probably ate well. She loved cooking, and what's more, she was really, really good at it! Family get-togethers often had her fingerprints all over them, from turkey dinners to meals on the grill, because she loved having her people close, full, and lingering around a table.

You could see Becky's love for people in a hundred ways, and one of them was her reading. She read everything, but biographies were her favorite, because she was always curious about people, about the lives behind the names. And if you were a cat, you did not have to work very hard to earn that same kind of affection. Becky always had cats. Lately, it was Shadow and Gracie, and Gracie was, in the most affectionate sense, extremely well-loved. She paid attention to the small joys, too, the kind that make a day feel like a day. Music. Movies. The familiar warmth of an old film, especially one starring Lauren Bacall or Humphrey Bogart. Those old stories mattered to her, and so did the old days. She was loyal to her high school class, and she stayed involved. If there was a function, she was there. And when someone passed away, Becky made it a point to show up, not because she felt obligated, but because she cared.

If you step back and look at Becky's life, a pattern comes into focus. She moved toward people. She noticed. She showed up. Whether it was family, classmates, or patients, her instinct was the same: be there, and care well. Becky's life teaches us at least this: love does not drain the heart that was made to give it. It strengthens it. It enlarges it. It makes a person more alive. That is why, even as we grieve the unfairness of how soon cancer came, we can also say with confidence that Becky's years were not empty years. They were filled with love.

She is survived by her siblings, Vanessa Marie & husband Les Midgett (Robinson, IL), John Stephen Voorheis (Robinson, IL), and Janice Lea Bousquet (Nashville, TN); by her nieces and nephews, Paula Newman, Matt Midgett, Janna Malone, Jacque Bousquet, Jade Bousquet, and Jannel McFarland; and by several great-nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents and her nephew, John Bousquet.

A time of visitation will be held from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Monday, January 12th, at the Goodwine Funeral Home in Robinson. Another time of visitation will be held from 9:00 a.m. until service time at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, January 13th, at the funeral home. The Wabash Valley Nursing Honor Guard will open services with a Nightingale Tribute, after which Pastor Tom Buchanan will officiate Becky's funeral. Burial will be in the Hutsonville Cemetery. Memorials may be made in Becky's memory to Shepherd Premier (formerly Arbor Rose) to be used for resident activities. Memorial envelopes will be available at the funeral home.