In memoriam: Professor Emeritus Dale Duane Wolf
Dale Duane Wolf. Image from McCoy Funeral Home.
Virginia Tech Professor Emeritus Dale Duane Wolf, 89, passed away peacefully on April 22.
Wolf joined the Virginia Tech faculty in January 1967, and as a full professor, his responsibilities included the supervision of undergraduate and graduate students. His research and Virginia Cooperative Extension work emphasized forage crop management and physiology, biofuels production, as well as methods and instrumentation for measuring basic growth factors such as photosynthesis of intact plants and individual leaves attached to the plant using small portable chambers.
Wolf was a member of several scientific societies and contributed to numerous research Extension publications. He was an advisor and committee member for 154 doctoral and master's students. He retired as a professor emeritus on Dec. 31, 1995.
Wolf was a longtime active member of the Blacksburg Presbyterian Church, was a deacon and elder, and taught Sunday school. He was Cub Scout and Boy Scout leader and on the board of directors for both organizations.
Wolf married Evelyn Lucile Zysset in Orafino, Nebraska, on Nov. 28, 1952. After 69 years of marriage, he is survived by Evelyn' their four children David Wolf, Laurie Wolf, Eric Wolf, and Allan Wolf; and 11 grandchildren. He is also survived by brothers Marlyn and Wayne Wolf and sisters Rita King and Letha Perks. Wolf was preceded in death by his parents, Leo and Alberta.
Wolf found joy in refurbishing several classic tractors. He contributed to a Guinness World Record by driving his 1937 F-20 Farmall in a parade with more than 1,000 other antique tractors. To many, Wolf was synonymous with the smiley faces and the lollypops he would distribute to students, friends, family, and neighbors.
A celebration of the life of Wolf is scheduled for what would have been his 90th birthday, at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 26, at Blacksburg Presbyterian Church.
Instead of flowers or monetary donations, Evelyn Wolf asks that you honor Dale Wolf’s memory by performing an act of kindness for someone, either a loved one or a stranger.
