Louella Louise (Poellein) Wolf

Louella Wolf died quietly in her sleep at her home in La Vida Llena, Albuquerque, NM on Sunday, January 1, 2023. She was 100 years old.

Louella was born in Boonville, Indiana, the daughter of Louis Poellein and Lydia Martin Poellein.

She went to Indianapolis where she studied and received a diploma as a registered nurse at Deaconess Hospital and there she also met George Wolf whom she married in 1943. She worked as an operating room nurse until the birth of their first daughter.

They had 5 daughters. When asked in 2015 how she wanted to be remembered she wrote "I was the mother of five girls - wonderful. Grew up in Indiana, met husband in Indianapolis as I was a nurse. Had a great time with him and the girls plus grandchildren and great grands!"

With five daughters to clothe she spent many hours at the sewing machine and became an expert seamstress making new dresses for all of them each Easter as well as a number of prom dresses and even one wedding dress . She was a good cook and enjoyed trying out new recipes.

She and George lived in upstate New York for over 30 years and then upon retirement moved "back home again to Indiana". They lived in Newburgh and she said those were some of the happiest years of her life.

She was an active member of PEO and volunteered in many different ways in the churches she belonged to and the communities she lived in. They traveled extensively to 6 continents and took numerous trips to Germany and Switzerland to do genealogical research. She loved to play bridge and to read.

In 2002 they moved to Albuquerque to be near a daughter and lived at a continuing care facility, La Vida Llena, where she was an active member in that community until her health began to fail.

She always emphasized to her daughters the importance of getting an education. She was proud that all her daughters studied and received college degrees at a time when this was only becoming a norm for women. Lou and George attended most of the graduations of their grandchildren as they progressed through their schooling. When their daughter Janet died they established a scholarship fund in her memory for working women who have gone back to school for more education as Janet had done.

Louella enjoyed taking care of others. Whenever her granddaughter was visiting on breaks from the university GML (Grandma Lou) always made sure to have a pint of cookie dough ice cream in her freezer.

Over the past few years her health has failed due to dementia but to the end she was a hostess "extraordinaire". Even at her 100th birthday party she noticed if someone needed cake or something more to drink. Her caregivers have told the family that in her last days she was still always thanking them for the things they did for her. May we all grow old so gracefully.

She had three siblings. She was preceded in death by her brothers Hobert Poellein and Rowland Poellein and by her sister Jeanette Inman.

She was preceded in death by her husband, George Wolf; and by one daughter, Janet Wolf Christopher. She is survived by four daughters and their husbands, Carolyn and Robert Havlen of Albuquerque, NM, Cynthia and James Waddington of Kamuela, Hawaii, Christina Wolf of Georgetown, TX, Lynn and Steve Matzen of Reno, NV; seven adult grandchildren, Pamela Havlen of Denver, CO, Naomi Havlen of Aspen, CO, Charles of PA, Louis of CO, Nicholas Tomasetti of Falls Church, VA, Sara Hadden of Incline Village, NV, and Chris Matzen of East Hampton, NY. There are 11 great-grandchildren and two on the way.

An interment service is planned for Lou and George in Newburgh, IN next summer.

If you wish to make a memorial donation, the family would suggest the Janet Christopher Endowment at Northampton Community College Foundation, Scholarship Office, 3835 Green Pond Road, Bethlehem, PA 18020.