Frances Mae Wolfe

Frances Mae Wolfe

Age 99, of Shoreview 

On August 3, 2025, this amazing, brave, beautiful woman peacefully got her wings. She was born on March 13, 1926, to Nelinda (Borri) and Frank Castagnoli in Granville, IL, sharing a birthday with her mother. While growing up in Granville, she enjoyed school, friends, fashion, sewing, speech competitions, and music, playing the piano, and later, the trumpet in the high school band. She graduated as the valedictorian of the (Granville) Hopkins High School class of 1944. A character-building activity during her youth was working in her parents' store, Castagnoli's Department Store, in Granville. After high school, Frances became a registered nurse through the WWII United States Cadet Nurse Corps, which brought her to Minnesota, where she worked at the VA Hospital for about seven years. During that time, she met and married the love of her life, John Wolfe, before leaving the world of nursing to stay home with their growing family. Together, they nurtured a close-knit family, raising five children, and later enjoyed spending time as a supportive presence in the lives of their grandchildren. She was a fabulous, loving, strong, faith-filled, and resourceful mother who could find a way to make nearly anything work and would provide guidance toward a solution for almost any dilemma. A serious fall made her last 15 years far from easy. For 13 of those years, she persevered with patience and even thrived at home under John's loving, diligent, unwavering care and encouragement. He raised the bar in demonstrating unconditional love and commitment and training their children in his methods when he needed more assistance before he was called home. She always managed to appreciate the bright spots in her day, even during those last 15 years. Visits from her grandchildren made her especially happy, but she also loved visits from her children, nieces, and nephews. Her spirit is now free, reunited with her loved ones who went before, and joyfully dancing, carefree again, with John.

Her work here is done, but the many lessons and the love she left behind will live on.

Preceded in death by her husband: John, parents: Nelinda and Frank Castagnoli, siblings: Nildo (Rita) Castagnoli, Robert Castagnoli, Juanita (Kenneth) Bogner, sister-in-law Marilyn (Joseph) Rivard.

Survived by children: Daniel (Susan) Wolfe, Steven (Cheryl Beaumier) Wolfe, Lisa (Perry) Laszewski, Michael (Kimberly) Wolfe, Teresa (Douglas) Bird, grandchildren: Caitlin (Brian) Przybylski, Emily, Thomas, and Luke Laszewski, Evan and Brent Wolfe, and Grant and Vanessa Bird; sister-in-law Anneliese Castagnoli. Also survived by nieces and nephews, and great-nieces and great-nephews.

A very special thank you and lasting gratitude to the amazing staff who became like family at Sunrise of Roseville (recently called New Perspective of Rosedale) and to HealthPartners Hospice Program staff for their attentive care, observation, and support over the past 22 months.

Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 am on 9/2/2025 with visitation 1 hour prior, at Saint Odilia Catholic Church, 3495 Victoria St. N., Shoreview, MN 55126.  Interment at 1:30 at Calvary Cemetary, 753 Front St, Saint Paul, MN 55103.