Stanley Woolf

Stan was born in Providence, RI on September 6, 1938, during “The Great 1938 Hurricane” to Ruth and Herbert Woolf. He and his mother stayed in the hospital for weeks, as Providence was fourteen feet underwater.

Stan went to Hope High School, and he attended Brown University, where he was one of the five physics majors. He graduated from Brown in June 1960 with a B.S. in Physics. After graduation, Stan moved to Boston to further pursue his studies, and that is when he met his future wife, Carol. Stan and Carol were married for 63 years.

Stan graduated from Tufts University in 1962 with an M.S. in Nuclear Physics. He enrolled in a Ph.D. program at M.I.T. Stan completed his coursework at M.I.T. while working full-time at Arcon Corporation in Waltham, MA. In 1974, Stan earned his Ph.D. in Physics in 1974. He continued to work at Arcon for the next 58 years working as a transport theorist, and a space weather expert. He published many scientific articles. Stan retired from Arcon at the age of 82 only because (in his words) “They ran out of work for me to do!”

A life-long scholar and an avid reader, Stanley enjoyed the NYT’s word puzzles, especially the “Spelling Bee” where he would announce his daily “Queen Bee” achievements to his family, and he gleefully wore a Spelling Bee baseball cap everywhere he went. Stan was also an avid listener of classical, opera, and jazz music. Stan was a member of the SWFL Brown Club, and a supporter of the Sandollars of Naples men’s activities. He was also a loyal fan of the Boston Red Sox, Celtics, and the New England Patriots. He and his wife Carol were often smiling in the stands of the Sox’s Spring training ballgames in Ft. Myers. He also played tennis for many decades with Carol, and then he started to play golf in his seventies.

Stan is preceded by his parents, his beloved grandmother, Etta Solomon, his sister-in-law, Marlene, many aunts, uncles, and cousins. With his wife, Carol, Stan was the proud parent of John Viens and GB Woolf. Together the Woolf family lived in Chelmsford, MA, Lexington, MA. When Carol and Stan became empty nesters, they moved to Mashpee, MA, before moving to Naples, FL.

Stan is survived by his wife, Carol; his sons, John (Lexi), and GB (Courtney); his nieces, Judith Strayer (Kerry), and Susan Lefevbre (Robert); his nephew, Matthew Cohen; one step-grandchild; and several grandnieces, grandnephews, and cousins. Stan was known to make his family, and friends laugh and feel good about themselves often without knowing he was being funny. Everyone who had the privilege of knowing him will deeply feel his absence.

Funeral service will be on Friday, May 1, 2026, at noon at the Douglass Funeral Home, 51 Worthen Rd, Lexington, MA. There will be a celebration of Stan’s life in Naples, FL at a later date (TBD).

Instead of sending flowers, you may contribute to the Carol Schlafman Woolf ’61, ’83 SM and Stanley Woolf Endowed Scholarship. Please contact The Office of Advancement & Alumnae Relations at Simmons University, 300 The Fenway, Boston, MA 02115, 800-831-4284 or email [email protected].