Obituary of June Allis Van Voorhis D'Amanda

June Allis Van Voorhis D’Amanda

11/1/1931 – 07/10/2026

June Allis Van Voorhis D’Amanda, age 94, died peacefully at her home on July 10, 2026, after a long and full life, beloved by those who left before her and those she leaves behind.  Allis is predeceased by her husband Louis and her grandson Louis III. She is survived by siblings Emily Harris and Eugene Van Voorhis,  children Dorothy (John) Hayes, John (Kathy) D’Amanda, Gale (Jeff) Fox, Chris (Elisabetta) D’Amanda, 18 grandchildren, 36 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren.

In her early years she attended the Harley School in Brighton, NY and the Masters School (Dobbs Ferry) and was graduated from Connecticut College. She went on to lead a life of love and adventure with her husband Louis and family--traveling together to Africa, Europe, and Russia; skiing in the Alps and Jackson Hole, becoming a certified scuba diver and diving and windsurfing in Aruba, horseback riding, cow poking and calf wrestling in the Sand Hills of Nebraska; and at home, wrestling with a large and fertile vegetable garden.

Rooted in Rochester for generations, Allis was active in the community at multiple levels. She was an avid curator of family history, and a fine storyteller. As a longtime member of the board of the Rochester School for the Deaf, co-founded by her great grandparents Carolyn and Edmund Lyon, she carried on her family’s work and dedicated years to organizing its archives; she was presented with the Perkins Founders Award for outstanding service in 1984.  For decades she led the Lyon Lecture Series on bioethics at the Rochester Academy of Medicine, her ancestral home, responsible for bringing to Rochester such renowned speakers as Oliver Sacks and Peter Singer. In 1999, The Academy presented her with their Award of Merit for devoted service.   

Allis encouraged their young family to share her love of horses; they joined the Mendon Pony Club where she became a director, and she and Louis were lifelong members of the Genesee Valley Hunt Club, riding well into their elder years.

Allis was a longtime member as well as past president of the Rochester Garden Club, served on the boards of the Harley School, Good Ship Hope, and the Rochester Board of Mental Health. For her good work in the community, she was recognized as a 1999 honoree of the Rochester Area Community Foundation. She was an active member of the Chatterbox Club and, with Louis, the Genesee Valley Club. They were also enthusiastic subscribers to another family tradition, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.

Their wide circle of friends and family will remember Allis and Louis as gracious and gregarious hosts in their elegant home, welcoming all with warmth and light.

No prior calling hours. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, August 22, 2026, at 10:00 am at Christ Church Rochester, 141 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14604.

Gifts in Allis’ memory may be directed to: Rochester School for the Deaf / Adventures in Education, 1545 St. Paul St., Rochester NY 14621 rsdeaf.org; Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, 255 East Avenue, Suite LL02, Rochester, NY 14604 rpo.org; or the Louis D’Amanda III Endowment at the Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester, 500 University Avenue, Rochester NY 14607 mag.rochester.edu