- Obituary
- Services
- Condolences
Paul G. Wolfe, 96, of Lancaster, formerly of Potosi, passed away on June 17, 2021, at Orchard Manor in Lancaster. To honor Paul’s life, family and friends may visit from 3:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., on Thursday, June 24, 2021, at St. Andrew’s Catholic Church, 101 Church Street in Tennyson, where there will be a parish scripture wake service held at 2:30 p.m. A private family graveside service will be held at the St. Andrew’s Cemetery. The Tri-State Cremation Center is humbly serving Paul’s family.
Paul was born May 9, 1925, in Rockville to Vilas Dawson and Jessie Mae (Schramm) Wolfe. He spent his childhood in the Rockville area attending school there. On November 16, 1947 he married a pretty young lady from Mt. Ida; Donna Speaker. They made their home in Lancaster for a short time then moved to Dickeyville, where Paul worked at John Deere Tractor Works and the Dubuque Packing Company. His heart though, always remained in Rockville. In 1957, he moved his growing family back to the Rockville area and bought the Midway Tavern where he had worked before his marriage.
Paul owned the tavern for 42 years and during that time served as the Secretary/Treasurer of the Southwest Tavern League. He was famous for his Ham and Cheese Sandwiches and his 1/3 lb. hamburgers. He was a member of St. Andrew Catholic Parish, an avid fisherman, loved to play the slot machines and a good game of cards. Paul retired in 1995 and sold the tavern in 2002. After retirement Paul and Donna moved to an apartment in Lancaster.
As his knees became worse, he decided he should move to Orchard Manor. He enjoyed his time there, where he could talk to other people he knew and reminisce about the past. He loved the nurses and all the people who made his stay special. When Covid hit, he tested positive a couple of times, but was never sick. However, he was no longer able to visit with the other residents. He became lonely and decided he would rather be with Donna then remain here with us.
Paul is survived by seven children: Kristine (Ron) Zenz of Bagley, Aleise (Cyril) Oyen; Paul (Jeanne) Wolfe of Potosi; Ann (Thomas) Peters of LaFarge; Jill (Craig) Moldenhauer of Green Lake; Mark (Wendy) Wolfe of Olathe, KS and Lori Wolfe of Eau Claire.; a daughter-in-law, Bonnie Dressler of Potosi; 24 grandchildren, 37 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great-grandson, and one on the way; brother and sister in-laws Kathy Wolfe, Lancaster; Marshall (Nancy) Speaker, Fort Worth, Texas; Mark (Sue) Speaker, Sparks, Nevada; Jean Speaker, Sarona, WI.
Paul was preceded in death by his loving wife Donna in 2010, a son Michael in 2013, his parents Vilas and Jessie, a sister Dorothy (Martin) Flesch, brothers, Charles (Lorraine) Wolfe, Merlin Wolfe and William Wolfe; in-laws Hugo (Beverly) Speaker, James (Lavon) Patzner, and Warren Speaker.
The family would like to thank all the employees of Orchard Manor, including the maintenance man, who spent time and shared their love with Paul. You are very special people and our personal heroes.
In lieu of flowers, memorials will be donated among Paul’s favorite charities.
Online condolences for Paul’s family may be left at www.tristatecremationcenter.com
- Visitation for Family and Friends
Visitation for Family and Friends
St. Andrew's Catholic Church
101 Church Street, Potosi, Wisconsin, 53820
June 24th, 2021 from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM
My deepest sympathy to the family. Paul was my neighbor at Sunrise and I thought the world of him. Had hoped to go visit him soon. My thoughts and prayers are with you. May you find peace in the loving arms of Jesus.
Chief will be missed. My deepest sympathies to all his family. Deer camp hasn’t been the same without him. Now he can chase deer in his Cadillac in heaven!
My condolences to the Wolfe family. My dad was an employee of John Deere and he and for years, he and a group of fellas from Boscobel carpooled to Dubuque. On Fridays, they would stop at the Midway and enjoy a couple of drinks with Paul.Supper was always an hour later on Fridays. It was many years ago and my dad has been gone 25 years but whenever I drive past the Midway I am reminded of my dad and the good times he had there. May your memories be a blessing to you,too.
Please accept our deepest sympathy. I’m he and Donna are serving all their loyal customers in heaven. Paul’s obituary is a wonderful tribute. We’ll keep you all in our prayers. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve had your parent – it’s a huge hole when they are gone.
Our thoughts are with the whole family during this time. The obit was well written and summarized his lifetime which is hard to do. When working at the Lancaster Veterinary Clinic in the early 80’s, we got our lunches from the Midway and I enjoyed a lot of the ham sandwiches and hamburgers that were mentioned in the obit. You were never hungry after eating his food.
My family knew Paul and his family for years. None of our visits to the Wolfe family was complete without making at least one stop at the Midway. I always loved when he would tell various stories about some of his childhood experiences. He was the kind of guy you just couldn’t help but love. I’ll miss you Paul. God bless.