Elder H. Ross Workman, who dedicated decades of his life to serving The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, passed away on Sunday, September 22, 2024, in Cottonwood Heights, Utah. He was 83 years old.
Workman, an emeritus General Authority Seventy, held several leadership roles throughout his service in the Church. In 2001, he was sustained as a General Authority Seventy, serving in that capacity worldwide until 2007. Prior to this, from 1998 to 2001, he and his wife, Kaye Meyers Workman, led the Honolulu Hawaii Mission. Following his release as a general authority, the couple took on the roles of president and matron of the Laie Hawaii Temple from 2007 to 2012. They would go on to serve as mission leaders again from 2013 to 2015, this time over the Salt Lake City Headquarters Mission.
Reflecting on his life of service, Elder Workman once shared, “The Lord has directed my life and even under challenging circumstances, I know the joy that comes from conforming my will to His will.”
Born on December 31, 1940, in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Harley and Lucille Ramsey Workman, H. Ross Workman was raised with a sense of adventure that stayed with him throughout his life. He fondly recalled childhood memories of riding trains with his younger brother to visit their grandmother in the forests of Washington State. He described these visits as filled with adventure, from floating on makeshift rafts in ponds to exploring the hollows of trees. “That filled me with a great spirit of adventure that has never really left,” he reminisced in an interview with Church News.
Elder Workman’s path to a mission wasn’t straightforward. After twice declining the invitation to serve, his stake president, Jack R. Prince, knocked on the window of his car one Sunday morning. “He didn’t say hello. He just said one thing: ‘I’ve been inspired to ask you one more time to go on a mission,’” Workman recalled. Feeling the Holy Ghost’s confirming influence, Workman replied, “I’ll go.” Fortunately, his high school sweetheart, Katharine Evelyn Meyers, agreed to wait for him, and after he completed his mission in the southern United States, the two were married in the Logan Utah Temple.
Of his wife, Elder Workman said, “I used to think she was the most beautiful girl in the world, and I haven’t stopped thinking that.” The couple went on to have four children—two sons and two daughters—and many grandchildren.
After returning from his mission, Workman pursued higher education, earning both a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and a juris doctorate from the University of Utah. He enjoyed a successful 28-year career as a patent attorney, eventually co-founding the law firm Workman, Nydegger & Jensen.
Throughout his life, Elder Workman’s service to the Church extended beyond his role as a general authority. He served in several bishoprics, on a stake high council, and as a bishop. When reflecting on his calling as a general authority, Workman testified, “The Lord has sustained me throughout my life. I have come to know that Jesus Christ lives and that He is my Savior. I have a profound gratitude for Him. He is the living Christ.”
Funeral arrangements for Elder Workman are pending.
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