Coworker obituary examples for inspiration

Pat Hawkins, 59, of Indianapolis, Indiana, died on February 5, 2026, after a battle with lung cancer. She worked at Eli Lilly for 33 years, and on her last day she was still answering emails from the hospital because that's who she was. Pat started at Lilly in 1993 as an administrative assistant and retired in 2025 as a senior project manager. In between, she became the person everyone went to when they couldn't figure out how to get something done. She knew every system, every shortcut, and every person in the building who could actually make things happen. She organized the department holiday party for 20 years. She kept a candy jar on her desk that was never empty. She remembered everyone's work anniversary and sent a card for each one, handwritten, with a specific note about something they'd done well that year. Outside of work, Pat was a member of Meridian Hills Country Club, an avid reader, and a grandmother to four children who called her Nana Pat. Pat is survived by her husband, David Hawkins; her children, Jennifer (Matt) Collins and Andrew (Sarah) Hawkins; four grandchildren; and her brother, Richard Dixon. A memorial service will be held Saturday at 2 p.m. at Flanner Buchanan. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Lung Association.

Robert Alan Foster, 63, of Columbus, Ohio, passed away on January 22, 2026, at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Born on September 8, 1962, in Columbus, Robert was the son of Alan and Virginia Foster. He graduated from Upper Arlington High School in 1980 and earned his MBA from The Ohio State University in 1986. Robert spent his career in manufacturing operations, most recently as Vice President of Operations at Worthington Industries, where he worked for 22 years. He was known for running the tightest ship in the company while maintaining a work environment where people actually wanted to show up on Monday mornings. His team describes him as the boss who knew everyone's name, asked about their families, and somehow made hitting quarterly targets feel like a team sport rather than a mandate. He gave credit publicly and corrected privately, a practice he learned from his first manager and passed on to every person he mentored. Robert was a member of the Columbus Rotary Club and a youth baseball coach at Worthington Parks for 12 years. Robert is survived by his wife, Karen (Miller) Foster; his children, Brian (Amanda) Foster and Lauren (Jake) Mitchell; three grandchildren; his mother, Virginia Foster; and his brother, Steven (Diane) Foster. A celebration of life will be held Friday at 3 p.m. at the Worthington Hills Country Club. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Worthington Youth Baseball League.

Denise Tran, 41, of San Jose, California, died on February 8, 2026, after a sudden brain aneurysm. She was in the middle of a product launch, which she would want us to mention because she was proud of it. Denise was born in San Jose to Huy and Mai Tran, Vietnamese refugees who came to the United States in 1979. She graduated from San Jose State and spent 15 years in tech product management, most recently at Adobe, where she led the team behind a feature used by 20 million people. She was the coworker who made the Slack channel less boring, who brought homemade pho to the office when someone was having a bad week, and who gave the most honest feedback in every design review. She said what other people were thinking, and she was usually right. Denise mentored 12 women in tech through a program she started informally, without corporate approval, because she didn't want to wait for permission. Denise is survived by her parents, Huy and Mai Tran; her brother, Kevin (Lisa) Tran; her niece and nephew; and her colleagues, who are finishing the product launch for her. A celebration of life will be held February 22 at Adobe headquarters. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Girls Who Code.