Henry Kilgariff Workman

1926 - 2020

February 5, 1926 - March 16, 2020 Henry K. Workman, a native son of Los Angeles, passed away on March 16th at home in Santa Monica surrounded by his family. He was a scion of one of Southern California's oldest pioneering families. On his father's side, his great-granduncle William Workman, together with John Rowland, led the first overland party of settlers to California, departing from Santa Fe and arriving at the San Gabriel Mission in 1841, and were granted the Rancho La Puente by Mexico. His great-grandfather, Andrew Boyle, settled in the 1850's in what is now Boyle Heights, and his grandfather, William H. Workman, was the mayor of Los Angeles in the late-1880's. Other family members played prominent civic roles in Los Angeles in the later-half of the 19th and early 20th centuries. His father, Thomas E. Workman, was a baseball star at St. Vincent's College (which became Loyola High School), and in 1915 became Stanford's first All-American in any sport. On his mother's side, he was the great-grandson of William J. Hassett, who was elected Mayor of Sacramento in 1902, and his mother, Margaret Kilgariff Workman, was a pioneering suffragette who served as a delegate to the Democratic convention in 1932 that nominated FDR, a rare feat for a woman in that era. He is preceded in death by his parents, his brothers Thomas E. Workman, Jr (Mary Lou) and Richard D. Workman, his beloved brother-in-law (and KA fraternity brother) John Paul "Jay" Jones, and Marie Jones Workman, his cherished wife and life-partner of 64 years. Henry grew up in a devoutly Catholic home in the Depression-era Los Angeles that predated World War II. By almost any conceivable measure it was then a very different town which now can only be imagined. He honed his baseball skills with neighborhood boys on a vacant lot at Lorraine and Wilshire near his boyhood home and later on the Rancho Cienaga diamonds near La Brea between Rodeo and Exposition, a long bike-ride away. He attended grammar school at St. Gregory's on Bronson between 9th and Olympic and, in 1939, enrolled at Loyola High School, where he made friends for life, excelled academically and athletically, and became a life-long admirer of the Jesuit fathers who ran the school. Broad-shouldered and handsome, one of his best friend's dad called him "Vars" shorthand for varsity, a fitting, albeit satirical, nickname for this strapping, quintessential All-American boy. It was at Loyola that his best friend, Dick Dunn, set him up on a date for a Samohi dance with his first cousin, a Santa Monica girl named Marie Jones. On their earliest dates he would take the Wilshire bus to her home at 9th and Carlyle and walk her to the Aero Theatre. She would be the love of his life.Following graduation from Loyola in 1944, and like countless others of his generation, he immediately acted in service to his country by enlisting in the Naval Aviation Cadet Training (V12a) program. Following a year of studies at Occidental College, he had just begun pre-flight training at St. Mary's College when the war ended. He was honorably discharged in October 1945.In January 1946, Henry enrolled at Stanford and was set to play baseball there, following in his father's footsteps. But a young SC coach named Rod Dedeaux, for whom he had played in local semi-pro leagues, intervened and convinced Henry to leave Palo Alto and come to SC. Much to his parents' horror, he did. Henry always said it was one of the best decisions he ever made. He played at SC for three seasons, 1946-48. The '48 team, with Henry as their captain and left-handed clean-up hitter, beat Yale to win SC's first NCAA baseball championship. Yale's captain was George H.W. Bush. Like his '44 classmates at Loyola, his '48 teammates were loyal and dear friends who stayed close for the rest of their lives. In 2009 Henry was inducted into his alma mater's Athletic Hall of Fame, one of the proudest moments of his life.Following the 1948 championship game against Yale, Henry immediately went by train to New York where he signed a contract with the Yankees. He spent the next two seasons with the Yankees' top two AAA teams, the Newark Bears and Kansas City Blues, and was called up by the Yankees at the end of their 1950 championship season. He played three more seasons in the Yankee system, but a serious shoulder injury in 1951 ended a once promising big-league career. When throughout his life he was asked about playing for the Yankees, he would always get embarrassed and say that he was only with them for "a cup of coffee." But he could regale with stories about DiMaggio and Berra and Mantle, and about winter ball in Cuba, where he roomed with Tommy Lasorda and took batting practice from a young university student named Fidel Castro. He liked Cuba so much that he honeymooned there when he and Marie married in 1952. With children on the way, Henry turned to a career in the law. After graduating from Loyola Law School, he worked for the California State Attorney General's Office for several years before joining his friends Roger Sullivan, Jack Thorpe and Bob Clinnin in a practice they had recently opened. He remained with iterations of that same firm for his entire career, specializing in real estate litigation, appellate work, and trusts and estates. He was a gifted lawyer, with exceptional analytical and writing skills, and an impressive oral advocate whose authenticity and dominant physical presence commanded the courtroom.Henry and Marie made their home in Santa Monica and raised five kids. They were active socially and in the community. They were longtime parishioners at St. Monica's Catholic Church. During his working years Henry pursued his love of competitive athletics by becoming an elite handball player, a game he enjoyed into his 60's with a diverse group of friends at the LA Athletic Club. He also enjoyed with Marie many years of golf and bridge at The Los Angeles Country Club. He and Marie traveled widely, always with some contingent from their wide circle of friends. When grandchildren arrived and eventually began their own athletic careers, Henry attended every game he could and was pleased that his athletic genes had passed to the next generation. In his 94 years Henry lived a life that made him admired, respected and loved by all who knew him. He was an intellectual, an athlete, a raconteur (with an occasional dose of hyperbole), and an insightful and hilarious toastmaster who was literally sought out by his friends to eulogize them upon their death (he did many). He was a friend to a wide range of people who appreciated his warmth, his humor, his engaging personality, his gregarious and welcoming smile, and his self-effacing humility. The man with every reason to have a big ego didn't have one and his friends loved him for it. Henry treated everyone the same, no matter their station in life. His mother often told her grandkids that their dad had the rare gift of being able to authentically befriend princes and paupers alike. He was a voracious reader, a lover of history and a master of the crossword puzzle. He loved Loyola High and the SC Trojans. He loved our family vacations to Lake Tahoe. He loved bodysurfing, the beach, and sailing with his brother-in-law, Jay. He loved a cocktail and a good meal. He was a man of deep Christian faith who loved his family above all. He was a loyal, loving husband to Marie for 64 years. He had a profound influence on everyone who knew him. Throughout his kids' lives, Henry's friends would privately pull them aside and ask if they appreciated the quality of their father's character and how lucky they were to have him as their dad. We figured it out. We never needed other heroes or role models. We had Henry Workman. Henry is survived by his sons Bill (Kerin), Paul (Kelley), Henry Jr (Frances), daughters Anne and Sally, his brother the Honorable David Workman, his grandchildren Elizabeth (Alfonso) Pulido, Christian Workman, Caroline Workman, Katherine Workman, Daniel Burschinger, Henry Workman III, Andrew Workman and Peter Burschinger, niece Mary Regina (John) Hatton, nephew Thomas Workman (Sarah) and many cousins, including all of those Conway/Dunns he inherited when he married Marie. We are all blessed to have had this man in our lives. Until we meet again in Paradise, Fight On. Due to the CV disruption, a Mass in celebration of Henry's life and a party thereafter will have to be deferred until scheduling will permit. A graveside interment at Holy Cross with immediate family only will be held this week. Contributions in his honor may be made to Loyola High School or the charity of your choice.