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Aaron L. Workman died on Jan. 23, 2024, at the age of 62.
He was born May 10, 1961, in Lovell, Wyoming to William W. Workman and Joyce Elaine Rounds. He was welcomed by brothers Larry, Mike, Rod and Bill. Another brother, Ernest, would be added three years later. His parents divorced when Aaron was 12. He was 14 years old when his dad married Judy Gams Kelley. With this marriage he gained two sisters and a brother, Karen, Kacee and Karol.
Aaron lived most of his life in Lovell. As a young boy and throughout his life Aaron was quiet and always grinning and laughing, but not saying much. He played outside most of the time along the canal banks with his brothers and the Williams boys. And there was always lots of fun, spending time with his cousins, Barb and Errol Workman’s family.
Aaron was involved in high school rodeo and rode bulls until a bull stepped on his knee and put an end to his bull riding. Just after high school, Aaron worked with Charlie Monk outfitting at the Dry Head Ranch with Nick Monk in 1980.
Aaron and Stacey met in 1980 in Powell. They were married July 4, 1981. They moved to Smithville, Utah, where their first child, Justin, was born. When Justin was almost a year old, the family moved to Cheyenne, where Aaron was hired as a manager at a horse breeding and show barn facility.
After a year, he decided to attend a cement masonry school and received a concrete finishing certificate in Cheyenne. Aaron got a job with a concrete company, and he would be gone during the week. At this time, Stacey was expecting their second child, Brian, and went into labor while Aaron was in the Snowy Range. When he got the message, their son had already been born. He left right away to be with his family.
When Brian was two months old, Aaron was offered a ranch job between Cheyenne and Laramie. He jumped at the job opportunity that allowed him to be home with his young family. The family lived there for three years. Realizing he needed more income, he started looking for another job while considering a higher education. His brother, Rod, told him of a job opportunity at a salt plant in Tooele, Utah.
While living in Tooele, Aaron became very active in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Soon after, Aaron and Stacey were sealed for time and all eternity in the Salt Lake Temple. They lived in Tooele for a year and a half, and Aaron was laid off with many others.
Aaron and Stacey then moved to Capitol Hill in Salt Lake City. At this time, he finally had an opportunity to get a degree. He applied for a computer aided draftsman degree at ITT in Salt Lake City. He was accepted and began going to school during the day and working as a security guard at the Salt Lake City International Airport in the evening. Their third child, Colleen, was born during this time.
After graduating, the family moved to West Valley, Utah, where Aaron had a job as a draftsman. They lived in West Valley for three years, and that is where their fourth child, Janelle, was born.
Ranching called him back, and he moved his family to Lakeside, Nebraska, to work for Farm Management Company based in Salt Lake City. It was a unique ranch in that each full-time employee had their own herd of cows to manage on their own. The last herd he ran, there were 800 mother cows. He and Stacey worked very hard.
In 1999, Aaron was offered a job at Adam’s Land and Livestock Feedlot in Broken Bow, Nebraska, as a foreman over processing. Once again, the family moved. He also began putting on metal roofs at this time. He worked at the feedlot for a year, then decided it was time to go home to Lovell.
In 2001 they were back in the Big Horn Basin. They bought part of a school land lease for farm ground with a house from his uncle Errol Workman. At the same time, he and his brother, Ernest, started a business partnership and named it Workman Contracting. At first, they specialized in metal roofs and then began including concrete work. Gradually, concrete became the main part of the business.
They had a lot of fun working together. They were pretty laid back, with a lot of driving around and laughing and talking. In the beginning there seemed to be a lot of goofing off, but in the end they always got the job done. As their business grew, they hired Pat Steed and made him a partner and then hired Eric Welling. The four of them were an exceptional team. Each simply knew what to do, and they did it well. Aaron worked until August of 2023.
In September of 2021, Aaron was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer. In August of 2023, he started chemo, which forced him to retire. His health deteriorated rapidly until his passing on Jan. 23 in Billings.
Aaron held many callings in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His life was full of laughter, jokes, hard work, camping and fishing. His main focus in life was his wife, Stacey, his children, grandchildren, brothers and cousins. He was always willing to serve others and had a great love for people. He’ll be greatly missed by his family. They are his legacy.
He is survived by his wife, Stacey, of 42 years; children Justin (Chandi), Brian (Calli), Colleen (Michael) Flores and Janelle; grandchildren Makayla, Brielle, Hayden, Elise and Bridger; brothers Larry, Mike, Rod, Bill and Ernest and their families; and aunts and uncles, along with many cousins, nephews and nieces. He will be greatly missed.
His funeral was on Jan. 29 in Lovell, and he is buried in the Lovell Cemetery.
