WORKMAN, ELIZABETH - Faulkner County, Arkansas | ELIZABETH WORKMAN - Arkansas Gravestone Photos

Elizabeth WORKMAN

First United Methodist Church Columbarium Cemetery
Faulkner County,
Arkansas

Rev, John Sparks
July 4, 1927 - Jan 9, 2014

Elizabeth
Oct 23, 1928 - Jan 1, 2022

*Obituary

Ruth Elizabeth ("Liz") Teague Workman died on January 1, 2022. She was 93 years old and had been a resident of Conway since 1985.

Mrs. Workman was best known for her long and engaged involvement in the United Methodist Church's social and human rights work. She was particularly active in advocating civil rights, women's equality, and efforts to promote justice and world peace.

As a result of her lifelong leadership in these areas, Mrs. Workman received numerous honors. These included Hendrix College's Ethel K. Miller Award for Religious and Social Awareness (1985); recognition by the Arkansas Peace Center for her "sustained commitment to contemporary issues of peace and justice" (1987); The Valiant Woman Award from Arkansas Church Women United (1988); the Human Rights Award from Church Women United (2011), and the 2013 Humanitarian Award from Hendrix College.

Born in Buckner, Ark., in 1928, Elizabeth Teague was the second child of Otto Warren Teague (d. 1988) of Hollywood, Ark., and Lydia Lois Young Teague (d. 1998), formerly of Mayfield, Ky. Her father was a United Methodist minister who served for 43 years in various Arkansas conferences.

The Church and its music formed the foundations of young Elizabeth's life. Her earliest memory, she once said, was hearing a piano as she walked along a dirt road in rural Arkansas and felt drawn to the sound. By the time she was 12, she was playing the piano for worship services led by her father. Only a few years later, she would serve in local churches as a youth counselor, Sunday school teacher, and choir director.

She graduated from Pine Bluff High School (1946) and received her BA from Hendrix College (1950). At Hendrix, she met her husband, John S. Workman (d. 2014), a Methodist minister and a journalist who, from 1979 into the early '90s, was the Arkansas Gazette's religion editor. They were married for 64 years, a remarkable partnership which often saw them both engaged in many of the same political, social justice, and human rights issues.

Mrs. Workman was also deeply committed to public schools and, in particular, the education of the underprivileged and neglected. She earned an MA from the University of Central Arkansas in 1970 in special education, and taught in the Little Rock Public Schools for 10 years (1970-1980).

While the focus of her advocacy work was the United Methodist Women's organization, her activism extended well beyond the halls of Methodism. From 1986-89 she was State President of Church Women United (CWU) in Arkansas, an organization of women of diverse races, cultures, and religious traditions advocating for peace and justice throughout the world.

She also served on the CWU's National Common Council, as well as on the National Committee for Ecumenical Action. The Arkansas CWU selected her State Chairperson for their Jubilee Year Celebration, marking the completion of their first 50 years of operation. While living in Little Rock, she also helped reorganize the Conway chapter of CWU and, after moving to Conway, held several offices there, including service as its president (2003-2004).

During the 1980s, Mrs. Workman also worked closely with the late Betty Bumpers, wife of the former Arkansas Governor and U.S. Senator, as one of the earliest members of Arkansas' Peace Links initiative, an organization focused on ending the nuclear weapons race. As a part of this effort, she served on the Curriculum Committee for The Peace Education Project at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. In 1985 she was state coordinator for the organization's Peace Ribbon project. And in this leadership position she was selected to represent the group with Betty Bumpers at the Peace March in Washington, D.C., as well as served as a delegate for the organization's mission to the Soviet Union in 1987.

An enthusiastic sports fan and athlete, Liz Workman played tennis into her mid-80s, often with her good friend, the late Betty Courtway of Conway. She was a highly competitive player. So much so that her children often joked that, for Mom, the promotion of world peace did not extend to the tennis court.

Mrs. Workman's other activities included work as co-chair of the Conway League of Women Voters; as a speaker and active member of NOW (National Organization for Women); as an advocate for alleviating poverty and hunger among Arkansans; as a member of the Advisory Council for the Arkansas Conference of Churches and Synagogues; and as a prominent voice for ERArkansas, the campaign in the mid-1970s to pass a State Equal Rights Amendment.

Mrs. Workman is survived by her brothers, Otto Warren Teague, Jr. of Stuttgart, Ark., Samuel Berris Teague of Conway, Ark., and David Gene Teague of Lexington, S,C.
Her sister, Lydia Lorraine Teague Wilson of Beebe, Ark., passed away in 2015. Her husband of 64 years, John S. Workman of Conway, died in 2014.

She is also survived by her four children, John S. Workman, Jr. of Ridgewood, N.J.; Paul Steven Workman of Owasso, Okla., Susan (Susie) Workman Jones of Miami, N.M., and Charles M. Workman of Valeyres-sous-Montagny, Switzerland; plus seven grandchildren and two great-granddaughters.

Her memorial service will be at the First United Methodist Church in Conway on a date to be arranged after the crest of the pandemic has subsided.

In lieu of flowers, her family would welcome memorial donations made to one of the following: First United Methodist Church of Conway (designated for "The Elizabeth and John Workman Social Justice Fund"); Hendrix College (designated for "The Elizabeth and John Workman Grant Fund"); or to The Arkansas FoodBank, 4301 W. 65th Street, Little Rock, Ark. 72209.

Published January 4, 2022
Arkansas Democrat/Gazette

OBITUARY SUBMITTED BY:
Griffin-Leggett Conway
1751 Dave Ward Dr., Conway, AR

*Obituary

Retired Methodist minister and journalist John S. Workman of Conway, 86, died on January 9. Rev. Workman was best known for his work, beginning in 1979 into the early ‘90s, as the Arkansas Gazette's religion editor. At the Gazette, his work as both a reporter and columnist made him one of Arkansas' most respected and influential voices on religion and its importance in American life.

Earlier Workman served in several pastoral assignments in Arkansas from 1953 to 1973, including churches in Newark, Oil Trough, Cabot, Berryville, Sylvan Hills, and Little Rock. The Methodist Church then appointed him to the Arkansas Methodist, where he edited the denomination's state newspaper for six years.

Born in Fayetteville, Arkansas in 1927, Workman was the second son of Rev. James W. Workman and Meta Sue Sparks Workman of Fordyce. He became the fifth in a line of Methodist ministers in the Workman family stretching back to the earliest days of Methodism in America. He served in the U.S. Army (1945-47) in the Pacific, Japan and Korea; and earned degrees from Hendrix College and SMU.

He is survived by brothers James W. Workman, Jr. of Arlington, Wash. and Walter E. Workman of Kerrville, Texas; Ruth Elizabeth Teague Workman of Conway, his wife of 64 years, and their children: John S. Workman, Jr. of Ridgewood, N.J.; Paul Steven Workman of Owasso, Okla.; Susan Workman Jones of Miami, NM; and Charles M. Workman of Valeyres-sous-Montagny, Switzerland.

The memorial service will be at the First United Methodist Church in Conway, on Saturday, January 18, at 1 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family would welcome memorial donations made to First United Methodist Church of Conway, Hendrix College, or Heifer International.

Contributed on 2/7/23 by hawkinsdonna48
Email This Contributor

Suggest a Correction

Record #: 1470351

To request a copy of this photo for your own personal use, please contact our state coordinator. If you are not a family member or the original photographer — please refrain from copying or distributing this photo to other websites.

Additional WORKMAN Surnames in FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH COLUMBARIUM Cemetery

Thank you for visiting the Arkansas Gravestone Photo Project. On this site you can upload gravestone photos, locate ancestors and perform genealogy research. If you have a relative buried in Arkansas, we encourage you to upload a digital image using our Submit a Photo page. Contributing to this genealogy archive helps family historians and genealogy researchers locate their relatives and complete their family tree.

Submitted: 2/7/23 • Approved: 2/7/23 • Last Updated: 2/10/23 • R1470351-G1470350-S3

Surnames  |  Other GPP Projects  |  Contact Us  |  Terms of Use  |  Site Map  |  Admin Login