Eileen Workman; Museum Employee

Ventura resident Eileen F. Workman, a longtime employee and volunteer at the Ventura County Museum of History and Art, died Tuesday after a long illness. She was 68.

Workman was born Sept. 19, 1930, in Providence, R. I. She moved to Ventura in 1975 when her husband, an accountant, was transferred to Port Hueneme.

Colleen Webb of Ventura, one of Workman’s six daughters, said her mother began her career at the museum in 1975 when she volunteered as a docent. Workman’s volunteerism lasted until 1984, when she became a paid administrative assistant at the museum.

“She loved the history of it all,” Webb said. “She loved the people.”

Workman liked all types of art in her home, including silk screens, oils, metals and ceramics, Webb said.

In addition to Webb, Workman is survived by her husband of 43 years, William; daughters Barbara Schlingensiepen, Sheila McGrath and Donna De Los Santos of Ventura, Lynn Ross of Thousand Oaks and Lois Workman of San Diego; one son, James Workman of Ventura, and nine grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by a son, William J. Workman Jr.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the American Cancer Society or the Ventura County Museum of History and Art.

Visitation is planned from 2 to 7 p.m. today, and a rosary at 7 p.m. at the Joseph Reardon Funeral Home, Ventura. A funeral Mass will be said at noon Friday at Sacred Heart Church in Ventura. Interment will be at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Rhode Island.