Richard J. "Rick" Worthen

Richard J. “Rick” Worthen, 73, passed away unexpectedly on Friday, March 22, 2024 in Evanston, Illinois. He was born August 22, 1950 in Los Angeles, California to William L. and Marian Nadine Riley, the fifth of six children. He was raised in Glendale, California and was a 1968 graduate of Glendale High School. He loved Little League baseball, spending his summers with his Aunt Lil, and throwing explosives in the neighborhood with his friends. As a teen, his Dad advised him to work a variety of jobs to gain interesting experiences and life skills. He had a paper route which he didn’t love but enjoyed working at a grocery store butcher shop and as a gas station attendant. He spent so much of his free time flipping through tool catalogs and tinkering with cars that his parents once bribed him with money to actually take a girl on a date.

Rick attended Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. After his freshman year, he served as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Northern States mission, which included the Chicagoland area. While on his mission, he met Martha “Anne” Mauck in Crystal Lake, Illinois. They kept in touch long distance and eventually Anne (his “Snowflake”) became his very first and only girlfriend. After returning to Provo for school and work, he proposed to her at Pioneer Park and they were married on June 3, 1972 and later sealed in the Salt Lake Temple. In their early married years, Rick worked as a long-haul produce truck driver before joining the Technology Department at Brigham Young University. He became a licensed electrician and taught night school courses in house wiring at BYU. While working there, he made lifelong friends with Karen and Lester Long. Les was his adventure buddy and they took numerous camping and four-wheeling trips together. Later, they would add other friends, children, and grandchildren to their outdoor excursions to west desert locations like Nine Mile Canyon and the Paris Ice Caves. Rick and Anne enjoyed several years in Provo, Utah where their first five children were born. While in a bishopric in Provo, Rick had the honor of serving alongside Leon Stubbs, whose love and mentorship formed the backbone of his future church service. Their family took special care of Rick and Anne through the loss of their first two sons.

In 1980, the family moved to Lake Bluff, Illinois after Rick accepted employment with Kaufman Machinery, a Die Cast Machinery sales company out of Highland Park, Illinois. He later became a partner of Kaufman-Worthen Machinery followed by several years as a solo business owner of Kaufman-Worthen LLC, doing work as a large machinery appraiser. He traveled all over the United States, finding every imaginable restaurant, greasy spoon, and hole in the wall food joint along the way. If you introduced yourself to him, he was always able to name a great place to eat within miles of your hometown. He was a member of American Society of Appraisers, Association of Machinery and Equipment Appraisers, and the Machinery Dealers National Association. He excelled at his profession, had extraordinary work ethic and no plans to retire.

He loved collecting Milwaukee and Snap-On brand tools, which he also loved giving away as presents. For a time, he took amateur photography courses and enjoyed practicing his new skills in the living room with light stands and studio backdrops. There was no end to his supply of batteries, Phillips screwdrivers, and Maglite flashlights. His enthusiasm with a label maker was unmatched. He loved his associations with close work colleagues, whom he also believed were the best in the industry and loved doing a business deal over cheap Italian beef sandwiches. He served the local community by donating his time and equipment to shovel driveways, tow cars, fix water leaks, and even used a crane to install a bridge across the ravine in Lake Bluff.

Rick was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served faithfully in a wide variety of church assignments. Most notably, he was a physical facilities coordinator in the Wilmette Illinois Stake, a member of the Chicago Temple Committee, a member of the Wilmette and Buffalo Grove Stake High Councils, a Branch President at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center, and the Bishop of the Buffalo Grove 2nd Ward. He loved serving in the church and was especially proud of assisting with the establishment of the Buffalo Grove Stake Center and the Chicago Temple. In these physical spaces, he gave powerful and memorable talks and sermons, provided assistance to families in need, and led youth on trips to church history sites. After his release as Bishop, he began serving as an ordinance worker and later as a sealer in the Chicago Illinois Temple. Anne eventually joined him in weekly temple assignments, and they served together for fourteen years. He found lasting peace, inspiration, and joy in this sacred work which occupied so much of his later life.

Rick excelled at engaging storytelling, possessed a razor-sharp wit, teased people mercilessly, and sometimes growled at small children in the hallway at church. He loved giving nicknames and acronyms to things. He was masterful with a grill and a smoker, particular about how many and which kind of straws belonged in his 64 oz. Diet Coke refill and would drive across state lines to purchase the cheapest gas for his vehicles. He leaves behind a treasure trove of emails to his family, usually addressed to the “Litter of his Loins,” containing precious family history stories, sage advice in times of challenge, and pure comic gold, all signed by Dad, Padre, or his favorite nickname--Ol’ Man.

He is survived by his wife of nearly 52 years, Anne Worthen; nine children, Cherilyn Renee Worthen, Holly Michelle Gedye, Leanne Elizabeth (Scott) Witney, Marian Nicole (Kevin) Young, Rochelle Elyse (Benjamin) Mathews, Riley McKay (Amber) Worthen, Richard Kyle (Katelyn) Worthen, Reid William Kaufman Worthen, and Laurel Anne Worthen. He is also survived by a sister, Peggy (Ronald) Romney; a brother, Thomas (Marsha) Worthen, his brother-in-law, Louis Miles, and many grandchildren, step-grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.

Rick was preceded in death by two children, Riley Kimball & Richard Lufkin; by his brothers, Bill and John Worthen, and by his sister Patricia Miles.

Funeral services will be held in Chicago, Illinois and Salt Lake City, Utah as indicated below:

Thursday, April 4:

Viewing from 5-7 pm at the Burnett-Dane Funeral Home

(120 W Park Ave, Libertyville, IL 60048)

Friday, April 5:

Viewing from 10:00-11:30 am with funeral service to follow at 12:00 pm at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

(3075 N. Buffalo Grove Rd., Buffalo Grove, IL 60089.)

Tuesday, April 9:

Viewing from 1:00 PM-2:00 PM with funeral service to follow at 2:00 pm at the Memorial Murray Mortuary

(5850 S 900 E, Murray, UT 84121)

Broadcast on Zoom: https://byu.zoom.us/j/93015097661?pwd=Vjh3aFRKNHExTEdrdnQydUgyUXlVZz09

Burial to immediately follow at the Memorial Redwood Mortuary & Cemetery

(6500 S Redwood Road, Salt Lake City, UT 84084)

Funeral services on April 5th, 2024 will also be broadcast on Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81616763273 Meeting ID: 816 1676 3273

For information: (847) 362-3009 or please leave a condolence or share a memory at www.burnettdane.com

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to assist the Worthen family with unplanned travel expenses.

Venmo @Riley-Worthen