Robin Worthington’s journalistic legacy can be counted by the column — hundreds of them filled with newsy tidbits — and by the amount of sage advice and number of laughs she shared with readers.
The longtime Alameda County edition columnist and feature writer for the Mercury News — and the Fremont Argus before that — will be memorialized at a Feb. 24 service. She died Jan. 17 at her Fremont home of Parkinson’s disease. She was 92.
Worthington’s “beat” was the Tri-City area of Fremont, Newark and Union City. She was prized for her deep knowledge of local history, having lived in Fremont since 1959 — just three years after that city was forged from five small communities.
In 1978, she became an Argus feature writer and lifestyles editor. At the Mercury News as a columnist from 1985 to 1994, she chronicled milestones and civic celebrations.
The casualties of the times — a historic farm property, an independent pharmacy, an old-school five-and-dime — got their due in her column. She also highlighted evolutionary events, from domestic violence awareness fundraisers to the first India Day parade on the West Coast to a historic joint venture between local Methodists and Muslims.
“Robin seemed to know everybody who was anybody in Fremont and could provide background and sources on all of them,” said longtime Fremont resident Dennis Akizuki, a newsroom colleague and former Fremont City Hall reporter for the Mercury News. “She was a gem.”
Her Everywoman columns spoke to those, like her, who transitioned from stay-at-home mother roles to positions of leadership in business, the arts, the community.
The lifestyle columns, in particular, resonated with readers.
One day in 1989, Worthington made a startling self-discovery while reading about the National Frumps of America. “At that moment, my feet were encased in the very slippers mentioned in the story — Dearfoam scuffs. I am not a full-time frump, mind you. I own some power clothes. I carry a briefcase. My shoes are usually polished. But at home, once I close that front door, I become — Secret Frump.”
Her confession that she regularly stocked up on Dearfoams prompted dozens of readers to admit to doing the same thing.
A newsroom colleague’s complaints about traveling with a baby in diapers didn’t escape Worthington’s notice. She headed to her keyboard, gently schooling the young mom about life with babies in the early 1960s. “The day that a child became socially responsible enough that the diaper pail could be given away rivaled in importance the day that the child was accepted at the college of choice,” the mother of five wrote.
When rap artist M.C. Hammer moved into his custom-designed Fremont mansion, Worthington — with her sense of style — was the obvious reporter to send to the scene for a personal tour. She wrote about the “sophisticated” color scheme and the kitchen designed for “real cooks.” And she obliged when Hammer insisted she step barefoot into the luxe bathroom to feel the heated marble floor.
In the community, Worthington was invariably described as the woman-in-the-know, a fair-minded reporter with a gracious manner who did her best to give equal billing to causes and cultural events throughout the Tri-City area.
“She was the heartbeat of the bureau in my time there — steady, smart, funny, and (like any good writer) very observant,” said Larry Slonaker, a former Mercury News columnist-turned-author. “I could always count on Robin to be a patient listener and wise counselor.”
Of Norwegian heritage, Worthington was born Robin Chittenden on Oct. 22, 1932, in Renton, Washington, and grew up on a family filbert and cherry ranch as well as in Olympia and Seattle.
After earning a degree in journalism from the University of Washington, she moved to San Francisco for an advertising agency job and met her future husband, John, a UC Berkeley graduate student who became a GE engineer.
In retirement, Worthington became an accomplished watercolor artist. Her pieces were selected for juried shows at the Olive Hyde Art Gallery in Fremont, and she painted and exhibited her works with a group called the Roving Artists.
Worthington is survived by her husband, John; their five children (Lisa, Stephen, Jane, Molly and Nancy); and their extended family.
The memorial Mass will start at 11 a.m. Monday, Feb. 24, at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 43148 Mission Blvd., Fremont. Find details and the family obituary at www.bergepappassmith.com.