Leonard R. Worthen

Leonard Robert Worthen, 94, of Wakefield, passed on April 9, 2020, after a brief illness. Born in Woburn, MA on December 28, 1925, Leonard was the son of the late Alice (Ransom) Worthen and Lawrence Preston Worthen and the brother of the late Gordon A. Worthen, all of Stoneham, MA. A devoted husband, father, and grandfather, he was married to his beloved wife, the late M. Elizabeth “Betty” (Shumway) Worthen, for 54 years. He is survived by his three children: Diane Worthen-Hirsch and her husband Eric, of North Scituate; Lawrence P. Worthen and his wife Diane, of Exeter; and David R. Worthen, of South Kingstown; his grandchildren Amber, Nicole, and Amanda and step-grandchildren Alex and Liza; and his sisters-in-law, Mary Doleva of Greenfield, MA and Janice Shumway of Amherst, MA. After graduating from Stoneham, MA high school in 1943, Len enlisted in the US Navy at the age of 17 and served during and after World War II in the Pacific in the Aleutians, at Iwo Jima and Okinawa, on Japanese occupation duty, and during Operation Magic Carpet. He earned his BS from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy, his MS from Temple University, his PhD from the University of Massachusetts, and was a Public Health Fellow at Harvard University. Worthen was a professor, researcher, department chair, and Associate Dean at the URI College of Pharmacy during his 33-year career. In addition to his academic work, he served for over 40 years as a community pharmacist in Massachusetts and at the former DeFanti’s Pharmacy, Wakefield RI and the Pier Pharmacy, Narragansett, RI. Always community-minded, he served as a member and past President of the South Kingstown Lions Club, President of the South County Museum, President of Peace Dale Estates, as a volunteer at the Storehouse Soup Kitchen in Peace Dale, and on the South County Hospital Medical Privileges Committee. A member of Peace Dale Congregational Church for 62 years, he served as a deacon, a Sunday school teacher, and on many committees. He played softball and bowled for Wakefield Branch teams and enjoyed hiking, camping, fishing, boating, reading and gardening. A lifelong stamp collector, he was a member of the North Kingstown Stamp Club. A memorial service will be held Saturday, September 18, 2021 at 11am at Peace Dale Congregational Church, 261 Columbia Street, Peace Dale, RI.