Sally Louise Wolf passed away peacefully on July 26, 2020, after living a long and full life. She is survived by her seven children: Walter R. Wolf (Rita), Randy Wolf (Kim), Lauri Stevenson (Dennis), Shari Brown (Wally), Larry Wolf (Krista), Debbie Wolf, Daniel Wolf (Katia), as well as 21 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
She was born Sarah Louise Church on April 9, 1931 in Cincinnati, Ohio to Raymond & Sarah Church. “Sally” was an only child who grew up during the great depression and World War II. She was a creative soul, following in the footsteps of her father who was an architect and designer.
In 1955, she graduated from the College of Applied Arts at the University of Cincinnati, along with her sweetheart Walter Wolf, who graduated with a Business Administration degree.
The two were married on October 22, 1955 at Pleasant Ridge Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati. The honeymoon became a trek across America on Route 66, eventually landing in California where Walt would be stationed at the Oxnard Air Force Base.
In 1957, with their first of 7 children in tow, they settled into Santa Barbara where they would spend the next 36 years of their lives; growing, learning, loving and expanding their family. Sally settled into the sometimes overwhelming role of a full time mom, chef, transportation coordinator, counselor, and operations manager of the family many friends called “The Wolf Pack.”
In the early 1970s, Walt & Sally had a transformative experience, accepting Jesus as Savior and experiencing the baptism of the Holy Spirit. They became active in churches, ministries, camps, seminars and retreats as well as hosting prayer meetings and bible studies in their home.
Sally’s bible became a family relic. It holds annotations, multi-colored highlights, and handwritten notes in the margins, as well as the inside covers. This bible went everywhere with her, as well as bible tracts in her purse. She was always prepared to talk to someone about Jesus, pray for them in the grocery store, or on a street corner. She lived and breathed sharing Jesus.
In 1995, Sally & Walt settled into “semi-retirement” years in Gilbert, Arizona to be closer to family there. She loved attending the grandkids’ basketball, football, volleyball and soccer games, as well as recitals, school plays and events. When visiting family, she wanted to be at as many events as they could possibly take in each day.
In the summer of 2017, the family moved Walt and Sally back to California for their final years on earth. Over the next three years, Sally continued to battle health issues, all the while determining to be strong for Walt in his final days (who passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2017), attend her son’s wedding in London, attend her granddaughter’s wedding in Sedona and see another great-grandchild born.
Then on July 26, 2020, after a continuing battle with another bout of illness, Sally stepped over into heaven to meet her Savior and be rejoined with her love Walt. I can only imagine her Father’s words to Sally when she arrived there: “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.” – Matthew 25:21
The family will be holding a small outdoor celebration of her life on October 22, 2020 at 3:00pm in Ventura, California, for family and friends. If you are interested in attending please email Lauri Stevenson at JobJoy@adelphia.net.
