In loving memory of Paul Edwin Wolfe, July 6, 1916 - July 28, 2014
By Contributor
It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of Paul “Pop” Wolfe in Arrow Lakes Hospital, at the age of 98 years.
Pop will be lovingly remembered and sadly missed by his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren; his extended family at Halcyon House; his nieces, nephews, extended family, and his many friends both human and animal.
Pop was born on the family homestead near Maxstone, Saskatchewan. He learned early to work, fight, and play hard. As he grew, he developed a love for animals and developed a special relationship with dogs and horses. Before leaving Saskatchewan with his family in the mid-thirties, he worked as a ranch hand, on highway construction crews, and as a mechanic in the town of Limerick. He also tried his hand at Bronco-busting at the Wood Mountain Stampede.
The Wolfe family came to Parks Siding and Pop worked as a mechanic for Moynes Motors in Trail for several years. He enjoyed riding his Indian Motorcycle, was a Golden Gloves Boxer (Welterweight), and was part of a ‘country’ dance band with several of his brothers. He had a fine Tenor voice, played banjo, 5 row button accordion, and guitar as well.
Pop married his wife Dorothy in Trail in 1942. They moved to Kaslo in 1943. Their children have fond memories of times when they sang so beautifully together. During his time in Kaslo he owned and operated an HD10 Cat and later a logging truck. He suffered a serious injury in a logging accident at Grey Creek in 1952 which caused him considerable pain in his legs for the rest of his life.
In 1966 Pop moved to Nakusp where he was working as a Heavy Duty Mechanic for Celgar Woods Division. Pop loved being outdoors. He spent time fishing, hunting grouse, target shooting, camping, and picking huckleberries. He spent a great deal of time with his grandsons teaching them many of these outdoor skills. He also enjoyed taking them out ‘quading’. He enjoyed collecting scrap metal, using reclaimed lead to pour his own bullets and shot of various sizes to use in loading his own shells. Pop was politically active, supporting his local Union, and acting out his roots as a dyed-in-the-wool CCF/NDP campaigner Federally and Provincially.
Pop was a big and strong man but he was a gentle and very caring man at heart. He enjoyed nothing more than being able to help people. He generally had a smile for all he met and was easy going unless you crossed him or hurt his family in some way. He was a good story teller. He had quite a repertoire of (mainly off-colour) jokes.
We would like to express our heartfelt THANKS to the amazing staff at Halcyon House who always show such sensitivity and caring; the wonderful doctors, nurses, and staff at Arrow Lakes Hospital who not only made Pop comfortable in his last days but treated his family with compassion as well; and last, but not least, the fine and gentle representatives of Castlegar Funeral Chapel who dealt so respectfully with him and us at the end of his journey.
Honouring his request there will be no service. Donations in his memory could be made to PALS (Animal Rescue), Box 56, Nakusp, V0G 1R0, or HALS (to enrich programmes at Halcyon House), Box 910, Nakusp, V0G 1R0 …or you might just want to plant some wildflowers to beautify a roadside somewhere.
