Dale Duane Wolf, 89, passed away in his sleep on April 22, 2022.
Born on June 26, 1932, at the Wolf Family Farm in Harlan County, Neb., Dale was preceded in death by his parents, Leo and Alberta (Burton) Wolf.
Dale married Evelyn Lucile Zysset on Nov. 28, 1952. After 69 years of marriage, Dale is survived by Evelyn, their four children, and 11 grandchildren: son David, and wife Pat Wolf and their children, children Adam Wolf and Isaac Wolf of Roanoke; daughter Laurie Wolf and their son Will Hunter of Roanoke; son Eric Wolf and his wife, Tammie Sarver and their children, Sarah Wolf, Emily Grace Sarver-Wolf, Elias Sarver-Wolf, Jeremiah Sarver-Wolf, and Eva Rose Sarver-Wolf of Floyd; and son Allan Wolf and wife Ginger West and their children, Simon Wolf, Ethan Wolf, and Jameson Wolf of Asheville, N.C.
Dale is also survived by brothers Marlyn Wolf of Gothenburg, Neb., and Wayne Wolf of Bryan, Texas, and sisters Rita King of Lakewood, Colo., and Letha Perks of Stockville, Neb..
Dale’s education included a BS and MS in agronomy from the University of Nebraska in 1954 and 1959 and a PhD in agronomy, with a specialization in forage and pasture management from the University of Wisconsin in 1962.
His early teaching experience included vocational agriculture in Red Cloud and Arapaho, Neb. After graduate studies in Wisconsin, Dale became an assistant professor of agronomy at the University of Connecticut in Storrs.
In January 1967 he joined the faculty of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (now Virginia Tech). As a full professor, his responsibilities included the supervision of undergraduate and graduate students. His research and extension work emphasized forage crop management and physiology, biofuels production, and 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).
Dale was a member of several scientific societies and contributed numerous research extension publications. He was an advisor and committee member for 154 doctoral and masters graduate students. He retired as a Professor Emeritus in 1995.
Dale was a longtime active member of the Blacksburg Presbyterian Church, was a deacon/elder, and taught Sunday School and pre-catechism class. He was a Cub Scout and Boy Scout leader and was on the board of directors for both cub and boy scouts. He loved gospel and country music and played in several local bands at retirement homes and other local events. He played guitar, dobro, six-string banjo, bass guitar, Qchord, and harmonica.
During his retirement, Dale and Evelyn spent 21 summers in Frontier County, Neb., where he managed their family farm that included a small herd of cattle.
Dale 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, Dale was synonymous with the smiley faces and the lollipops he would distribute to students, friends, family, and neighbors.
A celebration of Dale Wolf’s life is scheduled for what would have been Dale’s 90th birthday, Sunday, June 26, at 2 p.m., at the Blacksburg Presbyterian Church in Blacksburg.
In lieu of flowers or monetary donations, Evelyn asks that you honor Dale’s memory by performing an act of kindness for someone, either a loved one or stranger.
