In Loving Memory

Melville Leaf Wolfe
November 25, 1915 - February 27, 2008

Elise is a very loved little girl. Not only does she have two parents that shower her with constant affection, but she also has 4 grandparents that love her to pieces and spoil her rotten. And on top of that, for the first year and a half of her life, she has had the pleasure of knowing and being loved by five great-grandparents. Not many people can say that.

Elise and her Great-Grandfather, "Pop" Wolfe, may not have been in each others lives for very long, but they certainly made a big impression on each other. I will never forget the way Pop watched Elise as she ran around with her boundless energy, and the smile that she brought to his lips. "Pop" was one of the first names Ellie ever said, and was the first person, other than her parents, that she pointed to in a photograph and identified. She picks up her toy phone and "calls" Pop and Nanny more than she calls anyone else.

My grandfather was such a gentle and caring man. Elise was so fortunate to have known him, but she didn't really know the man I knew: the grandfather that has been an important part of my life for more than 30 years. She didn't really know the man that, when he was talking to you, made you feel like you were the only person in the room. She didn't know the man that chuckled at the end of every story he told, making it irresistible for you to chuckle along. Sadly, she is probably too young to even have any memories of him at all. But she will be a lucky girl if she has half as many wonderful memories of her grandfathers as I do of mine.