Franklin Delano Wolfe

Frank passed away on December 13, 2018 at the Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, VA. He was fondly known as Frank, Frankie, Dad, Pops and Grandpa! On June 15, 1933, the 10th child (5th son) was born to Nina Estelle and Raymond Curtis Wolfe. The family home was at 107 Edison Street in Nutter Fort, WV. He was named after the current President “Franklin Delano Roosevelt”. His sisters, Alice and Miriam, took care of Frank when he was young. They made sure every day he was up and dressed for school. Frank shared a room with his brothers, Dave, Nathan and Jody. Frank had a paper route as well as working on a milk truck delivering house-to-house for Blaine Dennison (a family friend) each morning before school. Frank graduated from Roosevelt Wilson High School in 1951. He joined the Navy and served four years, returning home to WV in 1955. He met Alta Mae Stutler in 1954 at Grandma Wolfe’s House. They got married on June 25, 1955 in Winchester, VA where Alta’s sister, Freda, stood up for them. Alta was 17 at the time and needed permission to marry. Alta and Frank lived with Freda and Ronnie Phillips (Alta’s sister and nephew) after being discharged from the Navy. There were no full-time jobs, so Frank worked at Hazel Atlas Glass Factory. He could only work when called, so if you were not at home when they called you could not draw unemployment, which meant you had to stay at home during each shift change just to see if you got to work – no cell phones in those days! That got old real quick, so when Alta’s sister, Shirley, called (who lived in Anchorage, Alaska) and said she could get Frank a full-time job in Anchorage, Frank and Alta discussed it and thought that would be a good plan – so they packed up and left in July 1956. They lived in Alaska for nine years. Frank started his new job in Alaska while they were temporarily living with Sam and Shirley in their trailer – needless to say it was a full house. Sharon was born on October 21, 1956. Frank was laid off from his full-time job and had to work at two gas stations, then at the railroad. He then got a job at the Alaska Native Hospital. On October 17, 1957 James Edward (Jimmy) was born. On Good Friday, March 27, 1963, Anchorage had a megathrust earthquake (9.2 on the Richter scale) that lasted 4 ½ minutes. Jimmy and Sharon were with a babysitter while Frank and Alta were out getting their Easter baskets. The shaking was hard; the electrical lines were jumping and falling down. They finally got home to the kids, they were fine, just scared. Frank checked their apartment and it was a mess. The refrigerator fell over and broke as well as all of its contents on the floor. The dishes came out of the cabinets, and the radiators fell over. We had no electricity or phone for two weeks. Frank and Alta melted snow for water (they piled snow in the bathtub). There was a lot of damage in Anchorage; at that time they could not notify anyone that they were OK, so there were some anxious moments for all of our relatives until they were finally able to call. They loved Alaska, lots of young people because of the Army and an Air Force Base nearby. They did have a scary moment when the earthquake occurred. That, plus they only got to see their loved ones in 1959 and1964, and in 1965 when they returned to WV. In 1965 they moved to Falls Church, VA where their best friends from WV lived, Sandra & Philip, affectionately known as Peanut. They got an apartment near them. Now they were only four hours from WV, which was much better than a 4-day drive. Frank got a job at David Taylor Model Basin in Carderock, MD where he worked 27 years as the Supply Manager. On April 5, 1967, Richard (Ritchie) Alan was born in Fairfax, VA. They moved to Tyler Gardens (a townhouse) prior to his birth. They lived there for seven years. While living in Tyler Gardens, we were about one block from Bowl America in Falls Church. It was there where Rich developed a love for bowling. Frank retired in March 1993 from the Government with 42 years of service. Alta retired from Xerox Corp. where she had worked for 33 years which provided an opportunity for them to travel. A lot of their travel was to see Ritchie on tour (Frank was known as Pops to the guys on tour, he loved them!), and to visit family and friends in WV and various other locations. Frank had a BIG HEART. Since retiring he made it his mission to help his brothers and sisters whenever needed. He always helped with a willing spirit and expected nothing in return. He was a Dad to many friends who lost their Dads - he was proud to fill that role, he took it seriously and with love. Most of all, he was a devoted husband, Dad and Grandpa. He loved his family with everything he had, he was a prankster, wise cracks (quick on his feet), funny and fun. Dad was sentimental. He sent a card for every occasion to everyone he ever met; if you sent him a card, he saved it and sent one back. We have boxes of greeting card memorabilia. Frank was patriotic, he has many American flags in the house in case the flag on the pole gets torn. Also, he was a member of the VFW. Frank loved Christmas, the tree, lights, a visit from friends & family, the food, giving of gifts, it was always a happy time. Frank loved November 1st because that is when the Hallmark Christmas movies started. We never missed a movie! Our family fun revolved around sports, the Wolfe Reunion (loved WV and his family), and our annual trip to Nags Head, NC. Frank loved the Washington Redskins (season ticket holder for 30+years), the West Virginia Mountaineers (WVU), and the Washington Nationals. He spent every weekend going to the games or watching them on TV. Frank is preceded in death by his parents, Nina Estelle & Raymond Curtis, his brothers (5) and sisters (6), Lynn Curtis, Alice Eileen, Martha Pauline, Raymond (Bud) Paul, Baby Buddy Wolfe was born in 1923 and died at birth, Ernestine (Teenie) Elsie, Garnet Elizabeth, Miriam Winifred, David Stanley, Nathan Miller, Maurice (Jody) Bernard, Ethel Marie and his son James Edward (Jimmy). Frank is survived by his wife, Alta Mae of 63 years, one sister Nina (Gert) Estella, Sharon (daughter), Ritchie (son), and two grandsons, James Franklin and Larkin Booth, many nieces, nephews and cousins in which he knew most of them. Friends and family will celebrate Frank's life on Tuesday, December 18, 2018 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Murphy Funeral Home, 1102 West Broad Street, Falls Church, VA. The Memorial Service will be held on Wednesday, December 19, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. at Dulin United Methodist Church, 513 East Broad Street, Falls Church, VA 22046. In lieu of flowers, you may make a donation to: Disabled American Veterans P. O. Box 14301 Cincinnati, OH 45250 Online at: secure.dav.org/donate Linda Rasnake FRSA Warrior Transition Brigade Building 62, 3rd Floor, Rm 3114 Walter Reed National Military Medical Center 9080 Beale Road Bethesda, MD 20889-5633