Henry Worley Eckhart

1932 - 2018

Eckhart, Henry Worley
1932 - 2018
Henry Worley Eckhart (1932-2018)
Henry fought against flu-related complications the last four months but finally succumbed on May 14, 2018. He always said that he wanted to die at his desk and probably would have if it weren't for the flu and pneumonia which caught him off guard in January. He was raised on Indiana Avenue in the University District by a single mother, Alice Worley Eckhart, who worked hard to support her three small children during the Great Depression. He learned the value of hard work at an early age, by selling newspapers on High Street at 9 years old. He never stopped working and 2018 marked his 60th year as a practicing attorney. Henry attended Northwood Elementary and Indianola Junior High. He went to University High School for one year before graduating from North High in 1950. He lived at home during college and walked to campus every day. In 1954, he earned a degree in accounting from OSU and after a year as an Army auditor, he started law school at the University of Michigan. When he was asked why he went there he always replied, "Because they gave me a scholarship!" A very good reason indeed. A delegate to the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Henry was very involved in Democrat politics. He led a committee to draft a new charter for the Ohio Democratic Party and was the Treasurer of the victorious Gilligan for Governor campaign in 1970. From 1971-73, he was the Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO). He was a champion for the little guys, which made him deeply unpopular with utility companies—a source of great pride. As the Chairman, he fought to keep rates affordable for consumers just like his grandfather, Mayor Henry Worley, had. After being forced off the commission, he dedicated most of his remaining career as a lawyer to battling utility companies whom he thought were robbing consumers. Like Tom Joad in the Grapes of Wrath, "whenever there's a fight so hungry people can eat, [Henry] will be there. Whenever there's a cop beating up a guy, he'll be there. He'll be there in the way guys yell when they're mad and he'll be there in the way kids laugh when they're hungry and they know supper's ready." Henry will always be with us when we're fighting the good fight and laughing like children. He is preceded in death by his mother, Alice Eckhart, older sister Sue E. Greer, younger brother Jay V. (Pete) Eckhart, and his infant daughter Amy Katherine Eckhart. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Claudine Lalli Eckhart, his daughter Anne Elizabeth Eckhart, his son, Robert Alan Eckhart (Brieanne Beaujolais) wife, his cherished grandson, Charles Robert Ticknor. He will be missed by many nieces and nephews who adored their Uncle Henry, as well as his Kappa Sigma brothers who recently inducted him into their chapter Hall of Fame. A video tribute to Henry is online at http://go.osu.edu/hwe . This is a speech given in his honor at the Columbus Bar Association when he celebrated 50 years of practicing law. We were happy he was able to enjoy this tribute while he was alive—his was a truly great American life that he could not have imagined while growing up in the depression. There will be a celebration of his life on Sunday, June 3rd from 2-5 pm at Raymond Memorial Golf Club, 3860 Trabue Road, Columbus 43228. Please no flowers, no tears, and don't wear black. If you wish to make a donation in his memory, you may send it to FOOD FOR THE HOMELESS MINISTRY, St. Thomas More Newman Center, 64 W. Lane Avenue. Columbus 43201. Arrangements were entrusted to MAEDER QUINT TIBERI FUNERAL HOME 1068 S. HIGH ST. 614-444-1185