John Oliver Worth

John Oliver Worth, age 81 of Zionsville, Indiana, passed away on August 10, 2024. He was born in Indianapolis on January 10, 1943 to Dr. C. W. Worth and Marie Worth (Oliver). He grew up in Milroy, Indiana in Rush County where his father practiced family medicine for five decades and where John discovered a true sense of place. Throughout his life, John remained steadfastly committed to his community and to the countless friendships he cultivated over the course of the 70 years he lived there.

After graduating from Milroy High School in 1961, John moved to Bloomington to pursue his undergraduate degree at Indiana University. During his time at IU, John was an active member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. He graduated in 1966 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in history. Throughout his life, John remained a devoted Hoosier and FIJI. 

After graduating from IU, he attended law school in Indianapolis, a career path he always credited his friend and mentor, IU history professor R. Carlyle Buley, with encouraging him to pursue. During law school, John worked in the Secretary of State’s office for two successive Secretaries, Edgar Whitcomb and William Salin, acting as corporation counsel during both administrations. John was appointed Executive Secretary to the Indiana Industrial Board by then-Secretary Whitcomb, and he later served as a hearing member of the Board. John earned his law degree in 1970, graduating as the John Allen Smith Outstanding Graduate Entering Private Practice and earning the Award for Excellence in Estate Planning.

Following law school, John returned to Rush County, where he practiced law for more than 50 years. John truly relished practicing law in a small town, where clients, judges and opposing counsel are all part of the same community fabric and where success is as much about community cohesion as it is about “winning” -- where empathy and advocacy are flip sides of the same coin. He especially enjoyed practicing agricultural law, guest lecturing at the Purdue University School of Agricultural Economics, and serving for four decades as counsel to the Rush County School Board. John was a member of the Indiana Trial Lawyers Association, the Rush County and American Bar Associations, and a member of the Council of School Attorneys. In 1986, John was named Indiana Trial Lawyer of the Year. John’s perspective on the practice of law and the role of the lawyer in society had a profound impact on his two sons, both of whom followed in his footsteps and became attorneys themselves. 

John loved politics and served as Republican County Chairman in Franklin County for over 10 years and on various other political committees. In 1969, John was awarded the honorary Sagamore of the Wabash by then-Governor Whitcomb and was named a Kentucky Colonel by then-Governor Nunn of Kentucky in 1971. John was also a founder and charter member of the Old Gentlemen’s Literary Society of Rushville, and a former president of the Rush County Chamber of Commerce. He was a lifetime member of the Rushville Rotary Club and a Paul Harris Fellow, a lifetime member of the Milroy Masonic Lodge, a member of the Contemporary Club of Indianapolis, and a member of Zionsville United Methodist Church.

John loved spending time outdoors, particularly at Woodland Retreat, his home north of Laurel, Indiana where he raised his family and, later, cared for his parents. John was also a gifted storyteller, with a knack for telling long-form stories delivered with perfect comic timing that could turn any room to laughter. 

John is survived by his wife of 57 years, Gaylene (Gay) of Zionsville, Indiana; son John R. (Susan) of Evanston, Illinois; son Stephen (Stacey) of Los Angeles, California; and grandchildren Cullen, Gunnar, Laurel and Zoe. John was preceded in death by his parents and his sister Katherine (Katie) Kiker Wigglesworth.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Milroy United Methodist Church or the Zionsville United Methodist Church.

The family will receive friends at a Celebration of John’s life on Saturday, September 7, at 11 a.m. at the Milroy United Methodist Church (114 N Pleasant St, Milroy, IN 46156). The service will follow at 1 p.m. with Rev. David Williamson presiding.