Colleen Rae Wolff

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A memorial services for Colleen Rae Wolff, 86, of Spirit Lake, will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022, at the Henry-Olson Funeral Chapel in Estherville. Inrunment will be held at a later date at Northlawn Cemetery, Fort Dodge. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service on Saturday.

Colleen Rae Wolff was born March 14, 1936 in Mallard, IA to Wannetta Geist and Edward Harrold. She departed earth on September 16, 2022, after sharing nothing but love, humor, and adventure during her lifetime. Tragically her father drowned before her birth and her mother died of tuberculosis when Colleen was only 16 months old. Her mother’s oldest sister Vulia Stufflebean and her husband Dewey took Colleen into their family to be raised with their own children; sorrow again touched Colleen’s life when at the age of 9 Vulia passed away. She was then taken in by her sister Geraldine Moore and her husband Rex.

On August 1, 1953, Colleen married her soulmate, Robert Wolff. They shared 70 plus years together creating a large, loving family; they had 5 children Collette, Robert II (Robin), Joyce, Laurie, and Brian. Those years were filled with love, laughter, tears, and heartache including the tragic loss of their son Robin at age 3.

After enduring many adversities in life, she had a core of steel, ability to laugh at life and a deep appreciation for family, love, and the simple things that life had to offer. She lived her life to the fullest.

She was a voracious reader, enjoying her flower gardens, watching the birds on the feeders, and placing a high value on civic responsibility and political involvement. An iron lady when it came to the mistreatment of children and animals, truly compassionate for all animals particularly dogs.

Colleen had many jobs outside of her home throughout her life, but first and foremost was the rearing of her children. She and Robert loved camping and sharing their love of traveling with their children as they were growing up.

Colleen and Bob made their home on Big Spirit Lake at McClellands beach for 30 yrs. They enjoyed being snowbirds and traveled south to the Rio Grande Valley in Texas for 23 yrs. They thoroughly enjoyed the life they had in the senior communities and had friends from all over the United States and Canada.

Parasailing in the Bahamas in her 60’s, hiking up the mountains in Mexico to view the wonder of the monarch butterflies wintering en masse in her 70s or just enjoying the beaches of South Padre Island with friends and her little yorkies in her 80s she was the perfect example that age is just a number.

Colleen was placed on this earth to be a mother and grandma and she threw everything into it. Everyone was welcome, whether through birth, adoption, or marriage all of them were family. She loved adventure and she loved to adventure with the grandkids. Trips to Louisiana, Alaska, Colorado, or Wisconsin to see family. Visits with Colleen were met with “ Are you hungry?” and she would feed everyone. She always had dessert, pie, cookies, and no celebrations would have been complete without her wonderful homemade chicken and noodles. Her cinnamon rolls should have been blue ribbon winning, they were a favorite of everyone. Summers were spent entertaining crowds of grandkids with fishing, swimming, baking, and adventuring. No one was better at giving the grandkids the best Christmas ever. This was her super bowl! Multiple gifts for all of the family, meticulously wrapped and lovingly labeled. She always knew what everyone wanted.

Becoming a great grandma only enhanced her gift of grandmothering. There was always time for the little ones, baking, decorating cookies, or feeding the blue jays peanuts. Also trips to the State Park next door to the cabin, looking for birds, or bugs. Checking out the lake or running around the shelter house.

Left to tell stories of broken fingers, special desserts, and our own special memories to share is her devoted husband, Bob Wolff; Her children, Collette (Paul) Hilton, Joyce (Dan) Amdahl, Laurie (Dave) Bennett and Brian Wolff; Her grandchildren and great grandchildren, Ryan (Tracey) Hilton with Jacob, Brant and Kamryn, Josh (Sarah) Hilton. Carey(Eli) Fehr with Cayley, Danica and Garret, Daniel (Steph) Helle. Sarah (Craig) Madson with Andrew and Aaron. Katie (Cory) Carter with Violet, Justin Papenfuhs with Braelynn and Norah, Matt (Kristall) Wolff with Hallie, Athena and Korah, Mindy (Rich) Ayers with Brayden, Jayce, Ryder, and Baby Ayers coming soon, Chris (Anastasia) Wolff with Tessa. Marshall Honkomp, Preston Downs, Tyler Wolff, and Jaxon Wolff; Brother-in-law, Bill Wolff of Fort Dodge and Brother-in-law Rick (Marlys) Wolff of Avon,MN. Many nieces and nephews.

Preceding Colleen in death were her son, Robert II (Robin), her parents Wannetta Geist and Edward Harrold, her beloved in-laws Leonard and Joyce Wolff, adoptive parents Vulia and Dewey Stufflebean, sisters Juanita (Einar) Anderson, Geraldine (Rex) Moore, Betty(Garth) Witte, Wynonna (Aaron) Montgomery and brother Dewey Jr. (Betty) Stufflebean, brother/sister-in-law Donald and Shirley Wolff and sister-in-law Barb Wolff.

Memorials will be donated to Alzheimer’s Dementia research.

Online condolences may be left for the family at www.henryolsonfuneral.com