Peter Voitenko

Peter Voitenko, 81, Independence, MO (formerly of Shenandoah, IA), died January 14, 2008, after a brief illness.
Pete was born on February 26, 1926, in Brooklyn, New York, to Fred and Rose (Koprla) oitenko. Raised in the Bronx, he joined the Army Air Corps after graduating from high school. In 1945, while stationed at Fort Lowry in Denver, CO, he met and married Evelyn Keith. After the war, he attended Kansas State University on the GI Bill.
For several years, Pete was an on-air personality and sportscaster at various radio stations in the Midwest. He left radio to work for the Federal government, overseeing Head Start and Job Corps programs in southwest Iowa. After that he worked in sales for Mount Arbor Nurseries and Crownline Plastics. Pete was an avid golfer. He captured the Shenandoah City Golf Championship in 1971, scoring a hole-in-one in the final round.
Pete was preceded in death by his wife of nearly 60 years, Evelyn, in 2005. Surviving are his four children, Tom Voitenko, Lake Ozark, MO; Maureen Kelpe, Omaha, NE; Jana Voitenko, Plainfield, IL; and Mark Voitenko, Independence, MO; four grandchildren, Bret Voitenko, Ryan Voitenko, Aaron McIlvoy, and Joel Kelpe; and four great-grandchildren, Elissa and Devin McIlvoy, and Jacob and Delaney Voitenko. He is also survived by his brother, Fred Voitenko, San Clemente, CA. (arr. Heartland Cremation & Burial Society (816) 313-1677)