Don Paul Wolf

“Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters.”

― Norman Maclean

Don Paul Wolf was born in Lansing, MI, on August 8, 1939, to Paul and Mary Wolf. He and his six siblings attended Barnes School, where he completed 8 years in the one room school house before attending high school in town & then continuing on to university.

While attending Michigan State University, Don spent his summers working for the forest service in the Pacific Northwest fighting fire, following after his older brother, Keith. Having fallen in love with the grand doug fir forests of Oregon and Washington, he happily made Seattle home when he returned to graduate school at the University of Washington where he earned a PhD in Biochemistry in 1967.

While studying for his PhD, he met Jan, who had been hired by Edwin Krebs, Don’s major professor. They married in 1967 and were soon on a plane to Geneva Switzerland to pursue Don’s first postdoctoral work in the labs of Dr. EA Stein at the University of Geneva. A glorious year ensued that included an exhilarating ski down the slopes of Mt. Blanc. Life was never without an outdoor trip planned hiking, mountain climbing or rafting down a wild river. He was always up for an adventure & trying something new at least once, as long as it wasn’t food. Their two children enjoyed these many adventures while growing up and Don’s legacy is seen in the love of the outdoors that his descendants share.

Don’s career as a reproductive and developmental scientist spanned more than fifty years. In pursuit of knowledge and work in cutting edge facilities Don worked in labs and clinics in Davis, Philadelphia, Woods Hole & Houston before returning to his beloved Pacific Northwest in 1986 where he helped develop the OHSU In vitro fertilization (IVF) lab and clinic in addition to doing foundational research in stem cells and animal modeling.

Many of the leaders in the field today worked with Don or did postdoctoral work in his labs. While Don contributed landmark advances in his field as a scientist, he will be most remembered for mentoring the next generation of scientists and as a collegial and generous teacher and friend to those who worked with him, whether students or peers.

Outside the lab Don was an avid tennis player, wild land preservation advocate and a fine fly fisherman. In his earlier years he introduced younger siblings to their love of horses. Like in his professional life Don was a teacher. He taught friends, and two generations of descendents to run the Deschutes and catch Redbands and Steelhead on a fly. He also demonstrated his patience by just barely wincing at dents in the drift boat and flyrod tips flung into the river by kids. Don was the kind of fisherman who got more joy from the success of others than any fish he might catch.

Don was beloved to his family and friends. He was a devoted husband, a loving father and a remarkably tolerant father in-law, even to a son in-law who bait fished. He possessed a quiet midwestern patience that occasionally gave way to pure joy and pride in the accomplishments of those close to him. His quiet strength, support and wisdom will be missed.

Remembering Don, we will think of his joy at finding a new bird, a grandkids first fish, or the view of a river from a ridgetop; his listening to our troubles with a genuine effort to understand our struggles. His quiet presence was often interrupted by a humorous quip that amused those around him. Those who knew him delighted in his quick dry wit. Often with people, silence is uncomfortable, Don was often quiet but it was never uncomfortable. The reason is trust. Don was a person who many trusted with a secret, our love or a confidence. Like a rock in the sun, quiet, warm and steady; our place of trust and rest.

Don was preceded in death by his mother and father, Mary Backert Wolf and Paul Andrew Wolf; and his brother-in-law Richard Perry.

He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Janet Perry Wolf, and his children Karla Wolf (Steve Borcherding), and Jason Wolf. He was a grandfather to Matt Borcherding (Karen VanDeburg), Hillary Borcherding (Eric Farrell), Ian Wolf and Oshea Wolfkind and great-grandfather to Emilia Farrell and Fern Borcherding.

He is also survived by his siblings Keith Wolf (Kathy S. Wolf), Lois Brunvand (Richard Brunvand), Judy Pierce (Robert Pierce), Suzanna Baker, Betty Bassett (Jerry Bassett) and Ken Wolf (Beth P. Wolf). He is survived by his brother-in-law Robert Perry (Anne K. Perry) and numerous nieces and nephews, their partners and their children.

In lieu of flowers, and because Don loved flyfishing the magnificent rivers of Oregon, we invite you to make a donation to WaterWatch of Oregon.

waterwatch.org/donationpage/