Anthony Wolf

Anthony (Tony) J. Wolf was an accomplished professional, dedicated family man, and lifelong learner. He was well-rounded in his interests, creative in his talents, and curious in his endeavors. Always happy and humble, Tony lived a life of love and inspiration to those who had the privilege of knowing him.

Tony was the fifth of six children born to Frank and Catherine (Illy) Wolf on May 4, 1922 in Uniontown, Washington. Both parents had emigrated from Germany, and when they settled on a farm in Washington, Tony’s father also did carpentry work while his mother cared for the family at home. Tony grew up during the harsh years of the Great Depression, but farm families like the Wolfs faired better, because they were self-sufficient enough to provide the basics of life as well as a solid foundation for the future.

Over the years, the farm grew to several thousand acres, and Tony’s father had to quit carpentry work and all the children helped out on the farm. Tony’s job was to collect and deliver wood for the wood stove used for heating and cooking, and to keep the smoke house well supplied. Tony often said he was left to do all the grunt work because he was the youngest boy.

Family life revolved around the farm. They grew wheat, kept animals, tended garden, made their own soap, and even spent holidays on the farm with extended family. Tony grew up with the values of work and family deeply imbedded in his character.

From an early age, Tony showed talent and creativity for engineering. Having once seen a kite, he made one out of newspaper and sticks. Then, his father gave him a gift that gave Tony endless hours of building practice. When his dad was building a new barn, he had saved all the little pieces of wood, cut them square, sanded them and made a set of blocks. It was a treasured gift that had lasting effect.

One of Tony’s many talents was his musical skill: playing and composing. He learned to play an accordion while in college and put together a group that played at clubs on the weekends. Some of them might have been his own tunes.

It was at a social club in Detroit that Tony met his future wife, Mary Jo Burkett. The two dated for a time, fell in love and got married on June 24, 1950. For their honeymoon, they made a memorable, if not grueling, trip back to the family farm in Uniontown in a 1936 yellow Ford convertible! It was a trip they would make many times when they had a family of their own. (Just not in a convertible).

From their union, two daughters were born: Rose Ann and Lou. Mary Jo stayed home with the girls and she and Tony invested much into the lives of their children. Being an avid reader, Tony had the Grand Rapids Press and the Wall Street Journal delivered to him, and every day he read both of them front-to-back, as well as the Lewiston Tribune on line. His own hunger for more education was passed on to his daughters. Every Saturday when the girls were young, Tony took them to the library so they would develop the habit of reading. As a family, they worshipped at the St Regis Church, in Bloomfield Township for over thirty years, and Tony served as usher for most of those years. He was also a member of the Knights of Columbus and the Rotary Club, all the while he launched a flourishing career in engineering.

Having received his B.A. degree majoring in Electrical Engineering from Washington State University in 1944, Tony also studied at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Engineering (1944-46) and at the University of Detroit Law School (1945-51). He was a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of Michigan, Indiana and the Province of Ontario, Canada. He was a member of the National Society of Professional Engineers, Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, and the Engineering Society of Detroit.

Formerly a Senior Partner of the firm of Pierce, Wolf, Yee and Associates, Consulting Engineers (1958-71), Tony also held positions of Vice President and Director of Harley Ellington Associates, Inc. Architects and Engineers (1970-71), and Vice President and Director of George Wagschal Associates, Inc., Consulting Engineers (1952-58). He worked for the Detroit Edison Company in system design and planning (1946-52) and with Westinghouse Electric Corporation at Pittsburgh in central station and industry engineering (1944-46). He also served as a Director of Michigan Special Machine Company and as a Director of Drillunit, Inc.

Under his charge, Tony had direct design and management responsibilities of utility and industrial projects including power generation, high voltage transmission, distribution and substations including the associated relaying, instrumentation and control systems; municipal street lighting and airport lighting; electrical system planning, including voltage regulation; load flow and fault duty studies. He also had direct design and project management responsibilities for industrial, commercial and institutional projects and facilities.

In his early twenties, Tony had been responsible for designing an electrical grid that would transport electricity with minimal loss over long distances. He was also responsible for the first grid between the United States and Canada, so each could sell electricity to the other on an as-needed basis.

Although Tony was an electrical engineer by degree, he spent much of his spare time as an amateur astronomer and avid sailboat yachtsman of the great lakes since 1946 and, more recently, he raced his thirty-six foot yacht “Bittersweet” in the Lake St. Clair and Bayview-Mackinac Races. In 1972, he co-founded the mechanical and electrical consulting engineering firm “Wolf Wineman” in the Farmington Hills area, which is still in business today. Tony retired in 1992 and remained an active member of the Detroit River Yachting Association, Great Lakes Cruising Club, North Star Sail Club, and the United States Power Squadrons.

Among the many pleasures of life, Tony enjoyed swing music and classical, collecting stamps from all over the world, tending an aquarium, and setting up an HO train set and a machine shop. He liked a fine rare steak, a good Martini with an olive, and the occasional meal of mussels. Admittedly, Tony did not like to cook, but he did teach his daughters how to make popcorn in the pan -- no bagged or microwave popcorn!

Though Tony passed away suddenly on January 3, 2009, his life of 86 years was marked with an enduring trait that his family will always remember. He had a great attitude – the kind reflected in this inspirational quote:

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company…a church…a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude… I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you…we are in charge of our attitudes.” (Attitude by Charles Swindoll)

Anthony (Tony) J. Wolf was the beloved husband of the late Mary Jo (nee Burkett); devoted father of Lou Wolf Vallance (Russell Henckel) of Rockford, MI and Rose Ann (Dr. Richard) Dulski, of Elma, NY; loving grandfather of Colin and Guy Vallance; loving brother of Evangline Bauer, of Newport, OR, and brother-in-law of Loretta Wolf, of Moscow, ID. Predeceased by Noami (Alfred) Stojanik of Portland, OR, Clifford Wolf, of Moscow, ID, Lester (Marie) Wolf and Arthur Wolf of Uniontown, WA, and Lawrence Bauer of Newport, OR. Tony was currently a resident of Grand Rapids, MI and (formerly) Bloomfield Hills, MI. A service to celebrate his life will be held on Saturday, January 17, 2009 at 1:00 PM at Heritage Life Story Funeral Homes – Van Strien Creston Chapel, 1833 Plainfield NE. Grand Rapids, MI. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service. You may share a favorite photo or memory of Tony, or sign the online register book by visiting www.lifestorynet.com. Memorials, if desired, may be made to the St. Regis Fund, 3695 Lincoln Road, Bloomfield Township, MI 48301-4055.