Adrian Lee Voorhees of Hill City, South Dakota was born September 19, 2012, in Pierre, SD, and left this world to play a perfect piano in heaven on April 24, 2025, at the age of twelve-years old. He was wise, talented and intelligent beyond his years; his brilliant smile lit up a room almost as fast as his piano playing. The twinkle in his dark eyes always let you know that he was thinking. He was a great math student, responding to his mother's text to do homework with: "Oh yeah.... What do you expect? I'm going to devour it; I know every question in math." From the age of six, he played Mozart, Beethoven, Debussy and Chopin with virtuosic intensity. His affinity for music was matched by his curiosity and his recent focus on faith and God, with a Bible always in his school backpack that seemed to be his equivalent weight. He was baptized in Community Lutheran Church by Pastor Jeremy Duprey and was in confirmation.

So very grateful and blessed to be part of his family were his Mom--Anjar Voorhees, Dad--Chuck Voorhees and big brother, Aidan. He will be dearly missed by his Great Grandmother Velma Eining, Grandpa Merlin and Grandma Karen Voorhees; paternal uncles: Steve Voorhees and Patrick (Tacea) Voorhees; paternal aunts: Signe Voorhees (Randy Beal); Emily (Joe) Sovell; and cousins: Samantha Olsen (Ryker and Sabine), Craig Jibben (Brooklyn), Shannon Watson, Reese Voorhees, Sheridan Voorhees, Justice and Josie Sovell, Tatum Voorhees and Tamra Voorhees. His maternal family in Indonesia, where he was blessed to visit, include: Grandma Djariyah, and aunts Aglesia Trias Wuri (Aditya Dwi Rahmanto), Erlya Noerifa Tyas & Irlya Noerofi Tyas. He will also be dearly missed by his beloved piano teacher and best friend Joe O'Rourke and Godparents Eric Bauer and Rachel.

I remember the night Adrian was born. We lived in Pierre and my parents woke me up at 3 a.m. When he was little all I wanted to do was play with him but I had to wait because he was too little to understand that yet.

When he first learned to talk, for about six years, he always called me "Nani" because he couldn't pronounce Aidan. My mother would say "A" and then "dan," and he would repeat. Then my mom would say "Aidan," and he would say "Nani". Times like those would always bring a laugh to my parents. He was a very happy baby, always laughing. At the time, his laugh brought so much joy to our family.

As he got older, it's hard to remember a time where he wasn't smiling. That kid loved to smile. Every time I remember him, he was smiling. It felt as if the time that was hardest for him to smile was school pictures. But it's important to know that he loved bringing smiles to others as well.

When Adrian was first learning to walk, my neighbors and I kept having to stop him from walking onto the road. He would always fall over, but he would always get back up. That would become a theme later in his life. If someone falls he would always be there to help them back up. He loved to bring smiles and laughs to everyone. Every time I would get in trouble or had something not going my way, even if it wasn't directly, he was always doing something to help bring me back up.

Adrian loved trips. A few years ago, my sophomore year, we went to Indonesia. He loved and embraced my mother's culture and had an amazing time there. He loved everything he saw and was always open to new experiences. Adrian usually seemed to only eat sweet food but he was ready for something new. The food in Indonesia can often be spicy, and he would always try to eat it but could never quite handle the heat — but, like almost everything else in his life, he would always try. Eventually, he would give up on his spicy adventure and go back to his love for sweets. Maybe the reason he loved sweets is because of how much of a sweet boy he was. One of, if not the most meaningful trip for Adrian, was his time in New York. He went with my father and had the time of his life with his piano teacher, Joe O'Rourke, who he loved.

One thing about Adrian I could never forget is how much he looked up to me. It didn't matter how mad or how mean I was to him; he always looked up to me and supported me. He loved doing the things I did, especially piano. Adrian was very passionate about piano, more than I ever was. He loved playing for people, even if it wasn't a finished song, and would play it for people over and over again. If there's one thing people know Adrian for, it was music and the piano. It felt as if Adrian had spread his personality through the piano. He inspired many of his cousins to play.

Something to know about Adrian is how positive he was. He always had something positive to say. On our last trip to Denver, Adrian, my father and I went to a smoothie store. The smoothies felt mediocre at best but he said, "this is the best mango smoothie I've ever had." On the same trip, we went to In-N-Out and he kept talking about how cheap the food was.  He was always spreading positivity and kindness.

His positivity may have had something to do with his unusually high love for the bible.  His yearning for knowledge for Christianity far exceeded most. He carried the bible with him to school daily, and understood the book on a higher level than almost all his peers. He loved God and had a relationship with him that I hope can inspire others to build that connection.

Everyday we heard a hundred times Love you Mom, Love you Dad, Love you Aidan -  We love you too buddy -  Your Big Brother.

Private family visitation will be held 5:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m., Tuesday, April 29, 2025 at the Community Lutheran Church in Hill City, South Dakota.

Public visitation will be held 6:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, April 29, 2025 at the Community Lutheran Church in Hill City, South Dakota.

Funeral service will be held 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, April 30, 2025.  Due to limited seating, family only will gather at the Community Lutheran Church.   The services will be live streamed to the Little White Church in Hill City, SD and all others will gather at the Little White Church in Hill City, SD.

In lieu of flowers memorials can be made to Community Lutheran Church, 705 Newton Ave, Hill City, SD 57745

"So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today." —Matthew 6:34