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Dear Running Friends,
My sister, Shari, and I would like to extend our thanks to all of Dad's running family for your kind support during the past month. We've thanked many of you personally with notes or calls, but know some have been missed.
This whole hearted thanks goes out to the nurse on the scene, to the fellow runner who called 911 and prayed at Dad's side while waiting for the paramedics, to all the young "whippersnappers" he urged past him, to his crew teams and trainers, to his comrades mentioned in his daily jogger's journal, and to the lovely lady who consoled me that his sudden death without warning was his gift of warning to his children.
We hope you win all life's races.
Take Care of Your Hearts Folks,
Billi Myers
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Bill, your good friend, Don Wahle, told me last Saturday, that you collapsed and died that morning while running in a 5k race. Running does not adequately describe what you did on the pavement. Your exploits served as a standard for anyone, regardless of age, who  wanted to be good at what they did. You have been a headliner in our Runner's Spotlites Rankings for many years.
I know you hold the Heart Mini 5k 65-69 age group record. Your time of around 21:45 is the envy of many people much younger than you.Then, you displayed your talents over a wide range of distances by setting the American age group 100k record while you were in your 70s.
Speaking of envy, one thing I never got to ask you was whether or not that luxuriant head of hair you had was real. As someone who is "full hair on the head" challenged, I marveled at your growth. Actually, I knew it was all real. I just wondered how you did it.
Your many friends are going to miss you. Don, who is legally blind, is going to need to find someone else to drive him around. He managed to get a ride home last weekend, but this is something you have cheerfully been doing for quite some time.
I know the autopsy results are not known yet and the exact cause of death is undetermined, but whatever did you in, you were doing something that you truly enjoyed, loved, and excelled up to the very end.
Bob
By Stacy Osborne
I would like to thank Bill’s daughters for allowing me to have the honor to praise, remember, and celebrate the incredible life of their father – my good friend – Bill Workman. I am not really worthy to do this, he deserves better than me, but I will do my best.
I have thought a long time on how to start this speech, and the one word that keeps popping up when you think about Bill Workman is incomparable.
Bill Workman was absolutely a one of a kind original. He could do it all. He was a father, grandfather, a faithful, caring, concerned friend to many – myself included. He was a motivator, cheerleader, mentor, coach, running companion, and a superiorly moral man. He was outgoing, energetic, and friendly; he never met a stranger.
He was a visionary, planner, innovator, skilled plumber, mechanic, electrician, carpenter, farmer, and lumberjack – great at anything involving tools. He maintained and flew his own airplane for years.
He was industrious, a builder, a completer, always ready to walk towards the challenge or task. He never surrendered or quit anything he started.
He was vigilant, self-sacrificing. A hero who served God and his country.
He was civic and community minded, enterprising, risk taking, focused and resourceful.
Having Bill around improved every mood and situation. He brought cheer and the sunshine wherever he went.
He always offered wise and intelligent consul. He was conscientious – took pride in his efforts and work.
He was diligent, creative, with boundless energy.
Vibrant – absolutely one of the most glad to be alive, glad to be here people you will ever meet. He was a winner!
He was patient, compassionate, easy to be with, funny, and quick with a joke – a fun loving merry prankster.
But most of all he was Good. He lived by the Golden Rule. I never ever saw him mad or cross with anyone.
Bill was only 5’7” but let me tell you he was a titan. Incredibly strong for his size. Tough and rugged. Tenacious. He could whip most men half his age.
Christmas of 1998 at the Runner’s Club Christmas Party I saw his x-ray of his left arm. He had bone cancer – I started crying because the last time I saw an x-ray that bad, the person was gone in a year.
Bill Beat that Cancer – it wasn’t his time yet. He lasted seven more years becoming an inspiration to us all. A yardstick to compare yourself to and to emulate and look up to.
People may have thought of Bill as an unschooled country boy and I’m here to say that assumption is wrong. The man was profound in his philosophy of life and had tons of common sense to go with it. Bill taught us how to live - to always do the best we could and to hang on and Never Quit.
Bill was not a phony, or a materialist, or superficial, insincere, or shallow. Bill loved his family and friends and would have taken a bullet for anyone of us and would have expected nothing in return.
He loved socializing, being around people, talking and hearing how their running or life is going. He meant what he said and said what he meant. He was real.
He never broke his word and always did what he said he was going to do.
Bill’s mode of currency was not money. Bill’s mode of currency was Action! Deeds! Noble efforts! Climbing the mountain! Higher, faster, further___________he ran the good race and he fought the good fight.
Bill never cared about ACQUIRING – never cared about a Mercedes or Rolex – the things Bill wanted no amount of money could buy.
Bill cared about people and it showed by his Actions. He was one of the most unselfish persons that I have ever met. He believed he was put here to serve, to make others happy. He never ever was arrogant or prideful. He was humble and thought of everyone as better than he. He was dependable; you could count on him. Whenever I had some hair brained scheme like hacking out a path in Sharon Woods or French Park, Bill would be the first one there and the last one to leave.
If Bill had a fault, it was he could drive you nuts with the phone. He would leave a message until it ran out of space – then he would hang up, call back and keep right on going.
My absent friend, I wish I had saved those messages to hear your voice again.
This week I have learned that it’s later than you think. The death of Bill Workman is a Mournful Loss. But I had many, many conversations about God, existence, and the afterlife with Bill over the 16 years I was fortunate enough to be his friend. And I know Bill was saved. That is the greatest victory in your life – to know your relationship with your maker – and Bill most certainly knew Jesus – and that is the greatest triumph that Bill Workman stands for and leaves to us.
As the future comes at us, and the days pass, all of us who loved Bill will see and hear and feel little reminders about the hole that is now in our lives by his passing. He is an irreplaceable man, but we will all still be like a circle connected by Bill’s memory. A memory, held in place by our memories and each person’s experience of Bill - will be stored in each other‘s heart. That is love – and that is Bill’s legacy – what he stood for.
Bill, I took you for granted, and always thought you would be calling, and dancing in and out of view – making my life better – and I’m going to miss you more than words can express. I want to thank you for being my friend and I know I will see you again.
Let us Pray.
Holy Holy Holy is the Lord! Thank You for the life of Bill Workman. We are grateful. Thank You for our lives and this existence that we don’t understand. We know You have a plan, Lord; we just can’t figure it out. Comfort us in our grief – and I think its from the Book of Job – this quote helped me through this week – “Even though You slay me Lord – I will trust in You.” For You have promised that someday You will wipe away our tears and MAKE all things new.
Amen.
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