Frank J. Wolf

Frank J. Wolf, 92, of Westfield, passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by loving family, on Sunday, October 4, 2009. Frank was born on November 7, 1916 on a farm in Xenia, Ohio. He was a graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He received a Ph.D in Chemistry from the University of Illinois. In 1942 he married Helen Sellmyer from Pontiac, Illinois. Together they headed East in a well-used Terraplane with $50 in their pocket. They settled in Westfield and Frank began a long career at Merck. He was an inventor on over 30 US patents, including B-12 process patents. He authored "Separation Methods in Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry" and many other scientific works. In 1954 he was awarded a Merck Fellowship for Foreign Study and studied at the University of Cambridge and the Max Planck Institute. After retiring from Merck in 1982, he served as an advisor to the FDA and continued to conduct scientific research at Drew University. Frank was a 66-year member of the Presbyterian Church in Westfield and he served on the Board of Deacons and as an Elder on Session. He sang in the Chancel Choir for many years and was later a volunteer for the Agape Community Kitchen. He was an avid bridge player and enjoyed his years playing with the Westfield Old Guard. Frank was a boating and fishing enthusiast. He sailed "The Happy Wanderer" from the Raritan Yacht Club in Perth Amboy. Frank and Helen built a vacation home on Duck Key, Florida, a gathering place for friends and family. Frank was a devoted husband, father, son, brother, uncle and friend. He was pre-deceased by Helen, after 60 years of marriage, and by his infant granddaughter Megan Wolf. He is survived by three children and their spouses, Judith Wolf Judge and her husband Charles of Ann Arbor, Michigan, Frank Russell Wolf and his wife Martha Gilpatrick of Concord, Massachusetts and Barbara Wolf Burton and her husband Allen of Westfield. His also survived by seven grandchildren, Kate Judge and her husband Tim Wu, Maggie Judge, Jenny, Julie and Molly Wolf and Matt and Abby Burton. A memorial service will be held at 3 PM on Saturday, October 10 at the Presbyterian Church. The family will receive visitors after the service in Assembly Hall. Remembrances may be made to the Presbyterian Church in Westfield at 140 Mountain Avenue, Westfield, 07090 or The Westfield Rescue Squad, PO Box 356, Westfield, 07091.