After a loving, active and admirable life, Patricia Mary (Smith) Wolf passed away peacefully on
December 9, 2019. Born on June 22, 1928, to Louis J. and Lillian Ann Smith in Milwaukee, she
was a proud graduate of Pius XI High School and continued her education at the Sacred Heart
School of Nursing in Milwaukee, graduating September 2, 1949. She started her career as a
Registered Nurse at Milwaukee County Hospital. After marrying Leo F. Wolf (her husband of 55
years), she moved onto St. Nicholas Hospital in Sheboygan, working in the surgery department,
and later, in pediatrics. But it was during her long stint at Sunny Ridge Nursing Home in
Sheboygan that her personal star rose to its zenith. As a nurse supervisor, she made everyone’s
day with her sunny personality and sparkling laugh, greeting each resident with a smile and a
“Hi, how are you?”. Some days she would even bring in one or two of her seven children to
meet and greet them. From this time on, she was known as ‘Miss Sunshine’. Her distinctive
laugh was her signature in all her interactions with family and friends. It warmed your heart and
brought a smile to your face. Upon her retirement in 1989, she received a congratulatory letter
from Barbara Bush and the White House in recognition of her stellar nursing career as well as
her personal achievement in raising a big and active family.
Pat and Leo raised their seven children in Kohler. Mary Margaret (Ben Hammond), John Joseph
(Linda Wolf), Laurie Lee (Steven Dahm), Jeffrey James (Jean Wolf), Judith Joan (Bill Freis), James
Joseph (Ann Wolf), and Joseph James, all graduated from college, four with graduate degrees.
She was very proud of each of her children’s success in her/his chosen fields. Pat’s love and
support encouraged them all to develop their personal skills through hardwork and education,
and to pass on the opportunities she made possible for them. Her deep devotion to her Catholic
faith was her foundation in life. Pat strived to put her beliefs into action each day.
In addition to being a fabulous mom and nurse, Pat’s embrace of life and sense of fun took her
in many different directions. In her teen years, she drove trucks from Chicago to Milwaukee for
her father’s Diamond T trucking company. Pat even drove stock cars! In the 1960’s, she won
the Petticoat Derby (driving a Jeep Scout through an obstacle course) at one Truck Roadeo,
while Leo won the championship trophy. Pat was selected to go to Capitol Hill in Washington,
D.C., to lobby on behalf of the local Teamsters Union. She showed her athletic ability by playing
in a “Flower Garden Championship Basketball Game” at Kohler High School, where she was
listed as Pat “Stretch” Wolf. Pat always attended as many of her children’s and grandchildren's
sporting events as she could, right up to her last year of life. Her family believes that she holds
(or should hold) the record for most sporting events viewed, either in person or on television,
during the course of one lifetime. Pat embraced life with wide-open arms, from beginning to
end.
Her seventeen grandchildren: Jay Michael (Liva Wolf); Tori (McArthur Hill, Jr.); Benny (Liz
Hammond); Cassie; Britten; Keenan (Matthew Horness); Christian (Kelsey Wolf); Parker; Kendall
(Kiefer Bennett); Mackenzie; Madison; Jenny; James; Ryan; Jessica; Taylor; and Kali, and six great
grandsons: Jaxon; Declan; Rowan; Benton Lucas; Leo Charles; and Pearson, have all experienced
Pat’s love and inspiration. Her hope and expectation was that they would follow her example by
showing love and kindness to all.
Pat was preceded in death by her husband, Leo F. Wolf, and her brothers Richard, Robert, and
Paul Smith. Surviving her are brother, Donald Smith, and sisters, Lois Goetz and Carol Ann
Mollgaard.
The family would like to express its heartfelt gratitude to all those who loved and cared for Pat
over these last few years making it possible for her to remain in her own home, especially: Dr.
Michael Johnson; Dr. Mark Bettag and family; Pat’s Guardian Angel Neighbor, Mike
Zimmermann; all her Caregivers Supreme; Michelle Gilbert, her massage therapist; and the
wonderful staff of St. Nicholas Hospital, Rocky Knoll Health Care Center, and Sharon S.
Richardson Community Hospice.
Hers was a magnificent life, a demonstration of love in its purest and most consistent form.
Please join the family for a Visitation from 11:00 to 1:00 on Friday, December 20, at Holy Name
Catholic Church (818 Huron Ave, Sheboygan), followed by a Mass of Christian Burial with Rev.
Robert Lotz as celebrant. Please visit www.zimmerfuneralhome.com to send online
condolences.
In lieu of flowers, Pat’s family requests donations to the Kohler Athletic Council, N 6269 Kapur
Drive, Sheboygan Falls, WI 53085, a 501(c)(3) organization. All donations made in Pat’s memory
will go towards the purchase of new scoreboards for Kohler High School’s gymnasium, where
she was a fixture in the stands for many, many years.
