Elicia Lee Charlotte Intrator Wolf

Elicia C. “Lee” Wolf, 85, who retired in the mid-1970s as a technical editor for the Human Resources Research Organization (HumRRO) in Alexandria, died Jan. 14, 2103 at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda. She had endocarditis, a heart inflammation. A son, Lloyd Wolf, confirmed the death. According to her son, Mrs. Wolf briefly was a city planner for Alexandria’s planning commission before joining HumRRO as a technical editor in the early 1970s. Elicia Charlotte Intrator was a native of the Bronx, N.Y., and a 1949 political science graduate of Brooklyn College of the City University of New York. She moved to Fairfax County in 1965. Mrs. Wolf was a past president of the League of Women Voters of Falls Church and served on the Virginia state board of the league. While on the state board, she was actively involved in the league’s ultimately unsuccessful campaign for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. She was a docent at the Smithsonian Institution. In 2003, she donated a 150-piece Thomas Nast political cartoon collection to the Auraria Library of the University of Colorado at Denver. Her husband of 58 years, computer pioneer Eric Wolf, died in 2007. Soon after, she moved from Falls Church to the Landow House, an assisted-living facility in Rockville. Survivors include her two sons, Lloyd Wolf of Arlington and Dean Wolf of Fairfax County; a brother, Alex Mordecai Intrator of Florida; and three granddaughters, Emma Sky Wolf, Maren Elicia Wolf, and Kira Beth Wolf. http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/elicia-c-lee-wolf-technical-editor-and-activist/2013/02/12/4e269494-7464-11e2-95e4-6148e45d7adb_story.html From the book: Jewish Mothers: Strength Wisdom Compassion Lee Wolf, a docent at the Smithsonian Institution, was a city planner and a State Board Member of the League of Women Voters. An avid world traveler and opera fan, she lives in Falls Church, Virginia with her husband Eric and has two sons, Lloyd and Dean. "My mother died when I was eleven. Back then children were not allowed in hospitals to visit so I sneaked in. During one visit I finally realized how sick Mom was. One Saturday my brother and I were called out of a movie and taken home. No one explained why and they took us to the home of an aunt. Our relatives were assembled and some idiot came over to me and said "You poor child. Your mother is dead." I was furious. I remember my mom as a very warm, loving person who took me on walks to the zoo and hugged me before I went to bed. The scar that has remained for me is not about her death, but about waiting. Waiting always means bad news. Luckily, my father was a terrific man. When I listen to psychologists discuss parenting skills, I realize my father came by them naturally. Both my parents were from Galicia, in Austro-Hungary. I grew up hearing them say "If I had liked the old country, I wouldn't have left." I was brought up to take one look at the Statue of Liberty and kiss the ground. I received a four-year Regents Scholarship and chose to go to Brooklyn College. I majored in US history and political science. My real major, however, was Eric who was to become my husband. The way we met is kind of romantic. My best friend and I were at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We walked into a gallery and Eric was there. We wandered around the museum and then the Central Park Zoo. He told me that "elephants had kind eyes." After he left, I turned to my friend and said "I am going to marry him." We were married in 1949 and had two sons. I was fortunate and had an easy time during my pregnancies. It was great being the mother of two boys, lots of fun. We lived in Lexington, Massachusetts and were really close to our neighbors. One of their kids, who was studying for his First Communion, was telling everyone what he was learning. Lloyd, who was about five at the time, began talking about Jesus. The boy's mother came over to me and said, "Hey, you are a nice Jewish family. Will you please send your boy to Hebrew school so he can be brought up properly?" My sons did well in school and were both bar mitzvahed. They didn't get into the long-hair, grubby phrase until they went to college. I kept in mind what my father once said about kids "if they are not doing anything immoral, illegal, or harmful to their health, leave them alone and they will outgrow it." I learned to tolerate their politics and their clothes. I am very proud of my sons; they grew up to be decent, honorable men. I believe that there are misconceptions about women in the 1950's. I watched TV programs like Ozzie and Harriet, but I didn't know anyone who did housework while wearing a dress and high heels. Most of the women I knew were active in volunteer work. When the children were established in school, many women got jobs working. The best thing about motherhood is becoming a grandmother. I don't have to be responsible for the children. If they want cookies before dinner I give it to them. I hope my granddaughters grow up to be kind, decent people and achieve what they want in life. I really enjoy life and wouldn't change it for the world, but I'd still like to be on the Supreme Court. I majored in U.S history and political science which I really loved and had some great teachers. After I took a course in constitutional law I thought it would be super if I was appointed to the Supreme Court. My real major, however, was Eric who was to become my husband." Burial arrangements were made under the direction of National Memorial Park.