Worthy sisters need Worthy parents. Here are Raymond and Abigail (Padgett) Worthy, father and mother of Regan, Rosalind, and Rhiannon.
Raymond Worthy is the managing editor at the Seattle Courier Dispatch in Seattle, Washington. By 1947, he is 39 years old and has spent most of his life in the newspaper business. A confirmed bachelor, he spends most of his time on the job, overseeing a newspaper with a quickly growing circulation. A few years earlier, he hired a young, energetic woman, Abby Padgett, who had just arrived from Boston and gave her a job as a gofer around the newsroom. Within her first few months with the paper, she proved to be a quick study, learning the ins and outs of the news business. Ray decided to take a chance and gave her a job as a field reporter.
Abigail Padgett left home a few days after graduating high school in 1944. She wanted a career while her mother refused to invest in any further education for her and instead insisted she find a husband. Abby took what little money she had, purchased an old car from her neighbor and drove to Seattle where she found a job at the Seattle Courier Dispatch. She displayed enough initiative to convince Ray Worthy to give her a job as a reporter covering city hall. She did well, always met her deadlines and showed an interest in more hard hitting stories. Ray took a chance and promoted her to crime reporter.
While Ray was willing to give Abby a job, he wasn’t so quick in giving her a desk as the more seasoned reporters objected to “wasting” resources on both a junior reporter and a woman. So, Abby worked around it as best as she could. She became adept at typing while standing, continued to meet all her deadlines, and earned the grudging respect of her colleagues. Over time, she earned more than respect from her boss, and they started spending time together away from the paper. Finally, on Valentine’s Day, 1948, Ray proposed. Not long afterward, Abby learned she was pregnant.
When Abigail announced she was pregnant, Ray took her off reporting the news and “promoted” her to features editor. Abby wasn’t happy about the change but Ray overruled her. Several months later, on 11 November 1948, Abby gave birth to a girl, who she planned to name Valentine. While she was recovering from delivery, Ray handled the paperwork and listed the baby as Regan Valentine Worthy. Abby had opposed naming the baby after her mother because they had never gotten along. It wasn’t until she received the birth certificate that she discovered what Ray had done.
