Death Notice: Joe Worley

Updated April 19, 2022

A memorial service for Joe Worley, former Tulsa World executive editor, will be held at 5:00 p.m. Friday, April 29, at the Greenwood Cultural Center, 322 North Greenwood Avenue, in Tulsa.  

Worley, a revered and respected figure in Oklahoma journalism, died April 13, 2022, after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 74. 
He was also a retired lieutenant colonel for the Oklahoma National Guard. 

Worley led the World newsroom as executive editor for 19 years. He retired in 2014 after 27 years overall at the World, and 45 years in journalism. 

A Tennessee native, Worley served as managing editor of the Nashville Banner before joining the staff at the Tulsa World in 1987. After serving in several editor roles, he was named executive editor in 1995. 
He was inducted into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame in 2007 and received numerous awards and honors for his leadership in the industry. 

Worley served as president of the Oklahoma Press Association in 2004. He received the Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation’s Beachy Musselman Award for Outstanding Contribution to Journalism in 2009 and the OPA’s Milt Phillips Award, the highest honor given by the OPA, in 2015. He had also been recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists, the Associated Press and as an official Tulsa Press Club Tulsa Media Icon. 

In addition to journalism, Worley was also well known in the state’s military community for his dedication to the National Guard. He served 34 years between Tennessee and Oklahoma units starting as a private before moving to the commissioned ranks with a direct appointment to captain. 

Worley was active in the community over the years, serving as a board member for Mental Health Association Oklahoma. He and his late wife Myra also had a longtime passion for the work of Pets Helping People. 

Worley is survived by his wife, Lis Exon; son Bo Worley; daughter Allison Conley; two grandchildren; and brother Paul Worley and sister Providence Worley. 

If you would like to donate to the Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation in memory of Joe:

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