Alfred Edner Wolfe
Died
Alfred Edner Wolfe
W7SOY
Alfred Edner Wolfe was born December 22, 1920 in Minneapolis to Alfred and Marian Wolfe. He died in peace at the age of 98 just after Summer solstice 2019 in Shoreline, WA.
Alfred's early life was spent in Kansas, Iowa and Minnesota where his father managed S.H.Kress stores. When Alfred was six his family moved to the small farming community of Lake Jenny, MN to run the local general merchandise store.
The general store provided an evening social space for the local young men. Alfred was introduced to the tradition of lengthy, varied discussions around the potbellied stove.
The family's mercantile life disappeared with the Great Depression which required them to move to Alfred's grandparent's nearby farm in Waverly during the Fall of 1932.
He was an incredible storyteller. His memories, real and romanticized, of country life before electricity and mechanization first as the carefree son of a store owner and then as captive labor on the farm provided a seemingly endless supply of stories for his future children.
On the farm, money was scarce but innovation abundant as Alfred discovered the magic of electricity and radio equipment. Encouraged by schoolmates and local radio enthusiasts he earned his amateur radio license in 1937.
An avid radio / HAM operator and Amateur Radio Relay League booster, Alfred was still active on the 40 meter net within a few months of his passing.
The Depression and WWII in Europe impeded Alfred's access to the University of Minnesota and when he did start in 1941, Pearl Harbor quickly brought him back to the farm as essential labor. The brightest spot in his brief college career was meeting his future wife Mary. In late 1944 he joined the Navy and was stationed in the middle of San Francisco Bay on Treasure Island where he taught radio and electronics. Communicating with Mary throughout this period, she arrived in Oakland just before VJ Day. They were married within a week.
Mary saw the great opportunities of the sunny West Coast and encouraged Alfred to finish his college education at UC Berkeley after his discharge in the summer of 1946. In California his young family grew with the arrival of two baby boys, William and John. Graduating in Electrical Engineering, they moved north to Seattle where a job with Boeing awaited him in 1952. The beauty and mild climate of the Pacific Northwest enthralled the Midwesterners. Settling down in Bellevue they had a third son, James.
Alfred and Mary were a successful team. Active with summer travel, camping and scouting, the family orchestra, Eastgate UCC, Masons, HAM radio clubs and much more; their many interests provided a wonderfully diverse and inspiring lifestyle.
Well after the three boys had left home and as he neared retirement, the death of Alfred's younger sister Kathryn brought ten year old Timothy Draheim into their home.
Primarily a missile guidance system designer, Alfred was overjoyed to be a part of the short lived SST development team. He considered his last assignment as part of the NASA space shuttle IUS design team to be the crowning achievement of his career. He happily retired in 1982.
Alfred was a conversationalist who enjoyed all that life had to offer, finding interest in everything that was happening or might happen.
He envisioned an inclusive, accessible world where everyone was understood, respected and could succeed. To that end he donated his resources including mankind's most precious commodity, his time. Through community leadership and personal interaction he helped others overcome communication, physical and sociological barriers that had prevented them from realizing their full potentials.
Please make donations in memory of Alfred to charities providing food, shelter, clothing and counseling to those in need. Build on your interests and passions by joining a club or organization thus becoming part of something greater than yourself.
Alfred is lovingly survived by his sister Gretchen Miles, brother and sister in laws John Younquist and Milly Wolfe, his four boys and their families, and many nieces, nephews, grand and great grandchildren.
W7SOY
Alfred Edner Wolfe was born December 22, 1920 in Minneapolis to Alfred and Marian Wolfe. He died in peace at the age of 98 just after Summer solstice 2019 in Shoreline, WA.
Alfred's early life was spent in Kansas, Iowa and Minnesota where his father managed S.H.Kress stores. When Alfred was six his family moved to the small farming community of Lake Jenny, MN to run the local general merchandise store.
The general store provided an evening social space for the local young men. Alfred was introduced to the tradition of lengthy, varied discussions around the potbellied stove.
The family's mercantile life disappeared with the Great Depression which required them to move to Alfred's grandparent's nearby farm in Waverly during the Fall of 1932.
He was an incredible storyteller. His memories, real and romanticized, of country life before electricity and mechanization first as the carefree son of a store owner and then as captive labor on the farm provided a seemingly endless supply of stories for his future children.
On the farm, money was scarce but innovation abundant as Alfred discovered the magic of electricity and radio equipment. Encouraged by schoolmates and local radio enthusiasts he earned his amateur radio license in 1937.
An avid radio / HAM operator and Amateur Radio Relay League booster, Alfred was still active on the 40 meter net within a few months of his passing.
The Depression and WWII in Europe impeded Alfred's access to the University of Minnesota and when he did start in 1941, Pearl Harbor quickly brought him back to the farm as essential labor. The brightest spot in his brief college career was meeting his future wife Mary. In late 1944 he joined the Navy and was stationed in the middle of San Francisco Bay on Treasure Island where he taught radio and electronics. Communicating with Mary throughout this period, she arrived in Oakland just before VJ Day. They were married within a week.
Mary saw the great opportunities of the sunny West Coast and encouraged Alfred to finish his college education at UC Berkeley after his discharge in the summer of 1946. In California his young family grew with the arrival of two baby boys, William and John. Graduating in Electrical Engineering, they moved north to Seattle where a job with Boeing awaited him in 1952. The beauty and mild climate of the Pacific Northwest enthralled the Midwesterners. Settling down in Bellevue they had a third son, James.
Alfred and Mary were a successful team. Active with summer travel, camping and scouting, the family orchestra, Eastgate UCC, Masons, HAM radio clubs and much more; their many interests provided a wonderfully diverse and inspiring lifestyle.
Well after the three boys had left home and as he neared retirement, the death of Alfred's younger sister Kathryn brought ten year old Timothy Draheim into their home.
Primarily a missile guidance system designer, Alfred was overjoyed to be a part of the short lived SST development team. He considered his last assignment as part of the NASA space shuttle IUS design team to be the crowning achievement of his career. He happily retired in 1982.
Alfred was a conversationalist who enjoyed all that life had to offer, finding interest in everything that was happening or might happen.
He envisioned an inclusive, accessible world where everyone was understood, respected and could succeed. To that end he donated his resources including mankind's most precious commodity, his time. Through community leadership and personal interaction he helped others overcome communication, physical and sociological barriers that had prevented them from realizing their full potentials.
Please make donations in memory of Alfred to charities providing food, shelter, clothing and counseling to those in need. Build on your interests and passions by joining a club or organization thus becoming part of something greater than yourself.
Alfred is lovingly survived by his sister Gretchen Miles, brother and sister in laws John Younquist and Milly Wolfe, his four boys and their families, and many nieces, nephews, grand and great grandchildren.
Source: Seattle Times
Published on: 29-09-2019