Remembering Jack Wolfe

My good friend from grade school, Joe Jones messaged me on Facebook to break the news to me. He had worked with Jack for a number of years, and he knew that Jack and my dad were really close friends. Later the same day, my dad arrived in Morgantown to have some shoulder surgery done. He was utterly shocked and saddened to hear of the death of his friend. “I was just thinking about popping out to visit him when I got back in town,” he shared.

My dad had first met Jack when they were both employees of the American Viscose plant in Parkersburg in the late 60s and early 70s. They became friends almost immediately. Their friendship lasted long after the plant closed, and, growing up, many of my memories of visiting Jack’s place were centered around auto repair. Jack was a genius when it came to anything mechanical on automobiles. I really think it gave him joy to solve mechanical problems, and to help others in this way.

Jack was originally from Bergoo, WV. It’s current population is 94 people, but every year, folks would return to Bergoo for a homecoming and reunion. My dad used to travel down to Bergoo with Jack. Jack loved making the trip each year, and he loved sharing his special home community with my dad. I wasn’t as close with Jack as my dad was, but, I have had some really incredible friends in my life as well, and I truly cherish time spent with them.

One time, my dad brought Jack up to Morgantown for the day, and I took them out to Cooper’s Rock and along some of my favorite trails up here. I think they both loved being in the woods, and enjoying the fresh clean air. The photos in this blog were taken during that visit. He was a big fan of McDonald’s coffee as you can see in one of the photos.

Jack left this world just a little under two weeks ago. According to what we heard, he had a heart attack while working on a car, and died shortly after arriving at the hospital. He died, doing work that he loved but his departure was a shock to all that knew him. 

I’m thankful that my path crossed his, and I know that many will miss him. Life is short and I hope we can each live it to the fullest while we walk this earth.