Thomas F. Worthen

1944 - 2018

Thomas F. Worthen

Des Moines -

Thomas Fletcher Worthen (Tom), 73, of Des Moines, IA, and Venice, Italy, died on May 22, 2018, three days after suffering a heart attack while walking to meet friends for coffee.

A memorial service will be held at the Des Moines Art Center on Wednesday, May 30th, at 3 pm.

Born in 1944 in Little Rock, AR, Tom was the middle son of William Booker Worthen and Mary Sandlin Fletcher Worthen. He attended Episcopal High School, in Alexandria, VA, to finish school after segregationists closed Little Rock's high schools. He earned his BA from Amherst College in 1966. After graduation, he was drafted and did his military service in Korea. One summer vacation while an undergraduate travelling around Europe, he met Amy Louise Namowitz in Florence. After Tom and Amy married, they continued to return to Italy for study, teaching, and vacations, first to Florence, where their second child was born, and later to Venice. They celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary in April 2018.

Tom received his MA and PhD in Art History from the University of Iowa, spending a year of special study at the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard. From 1970 until his retirement in 2005, he taught art history at Drake University. His research and publications focused on the art of the Italian Renaissance, including the iconography of the Harrowing of Hell; the paintings of Tintoretto; and Venetian confraternities of the Blessed Sacrament. He also published on the 17th century French painter Nicolas Poussin, and on contemporary painters. In retirement, he sleuthed through the archives of Venice, researching how and where art was used within 16th and 17th century parish churches. A few days before his death, he submitted his most recent article, "Altars and other furnishings for the Scuola del SS. Sacramento in San Giacomo dall'Orio".

In Venice, Tom and Amy restored an apartment in a historic palazzo, where he tended their cascading wisteria. He learned to row Venetian style (standing up with one oar), sometimes taking friends and family out for unique and much-appreciated tours through the canals, but more often exploring the lagoon waters on his own at night. Tom loved taking long walks, travelling internationally, listening to classical music, playing the recorder and flute, collecting art, reading, doing New York Times crossword puzzles, and lively conversation with friends. He adored spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren. He was a member of the Renaissance Society of America, the Circolo Italo-Britannico (Venice), Century Club (Des Moines), the Des Moines Art Center, and its Print Club.

He is survived by his wife, Amy; his daughters, Shana Worthen (Colin Stewart) and Maria Worthen (Paolo Saccà); his brother Bill (Kathy); his sister-in-law Sherry; his mother-in-law Audrey Namowitz; his brother-in-law Daniel Namowitz; his grandchildren, Wren, Giacomo, and Pippin; and nieces Rachel Worthen, Emilie Partis, and Ellen Karr. His parents and his brother George preceded him in death.

Memorial gifts may be made to Iowa Public Radio; the Des Moines Art Center; Philander Smith College in Little Rock; and Save Venice.