Sally Zager Wolfe was born in Nashville, Tennessee, on July 3, 1937, and passed away on March 2, 2021, after a short illness.
Her parents were Jacob and Anne Zager; her two sisters Adrienne Zager and Sue Zager Sternheimer. She attended Peabody Dem School, (now University School of Nashville) and worked in her family delicatessen, Zager’s Fine Foods, on West End Avenue. In 1952 she met Larry Wolfe on a Jewish youth bus trip to Memphis, and that was the beginning of their life-long love story. She completed some college at the University of Wisconsin, but was drawn back to Larry and Nashville, where she completed a year at Peabody College. She and Larry were married in 1958 and she supported him through his internship and residency. Their daughter Lynne was born in Nashville in 1961, joined by a son, Kevin, born in Ft. Ord, California, in 1966, while Larry was on military duty. Their 63-year marriage was an example to us all; they continued to enjoy one another’s company through the 2020-21 pandemic even as their family couldn’t visit.
Throughout her life, she was devoted first of all to her family, including her wextended family. She championed reunions, remembered birthdays, and acted as executor for Zagers and Wolfes alike. She was known as Gran to her three cherished grandchildren, (Kevin and Elizabeth’s children), Katie, Lily, and Jake. Thanksgiving was her favorite holiday as she joyfully filled the table with people and food. She had a wide array of friends from all aspects of the community and from all parts of her life; she dispensed advice and banana bread equally.
For the last 25 years, she and her friend Betsy Chernau organized the Book of Remembrance for the Temple Ohabai Shalom; collaborating on this project was always a highlight of her year. She was a 12-year previous board member and the Temple was her “second home.” Another of her favorite organizations was the National Council of Jewish Women, Nashville section, where she served as President in 1976.
The list of her accomplishments is long. Organizations important to her included most recently Fifty Forward, and over her long career, she volunteered for the Girl Scouts, Centerstone Mental Health Center, Richland House, Jewish Family Services, the Gordon Jewish Community Center, the Jewish Federation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee, the Jewish Foundation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee, the Nashville Symphony Guild, the Vanderbilt Aid Society, the United Way of Nashville and Middle Tennessee, Head School Community Day Care Center, Leadership Nashville, the Red Cross, the YWCA, Nashville Symphony Orchestra League, the Monroe Carrell, Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt University, and Friends of Nashville Ballet.
She was honored for her volunteerism by receiving the Germaine Monteil award for Volunteer Activists, the Crowning Achievement Award from Fifty Forward, the Council on Aging’s Sage Award, and the Jewish Family Service’s Chesed Award, Ruach Award, and Volunteer Award.
Sally also loved her garden, her “green children,” and was a magician with orchids. Ballet, symphony, art and gourmet cooking all brought her great joy. She has over 50 recipes in the NCJW cookbook. When her granddaughter Katie followed her heart to become a ballet dancer, she was deeply gratified.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Jacob and Anne Zager, and her sister Adrienne Zager. She is survived by her loving husband Dr. Lawrence Wolfe (Larry), sister Sue and Stephen Sternheimer of Columbia, Maryland and their daughter Beth and her wife Tanya Stafford of Cambridge, Massachusetts, her children Lynne Wolfe and husband Dan Powers of Driggs, Idaho, Kevin and Elizabeth Wolfe of San Carlos, California, grandchildren Jake and Lily Wolfe of San Carlos, California, and Katie Wolfe of Kansas City, Missouri.
Services were held at the Temple Ohabai Shalom on March 4, and broadcast via Zoom. A recording of the service can be found at https://video.ibm.com/channel/the-temple-nashville .
In lieu of flowers, please make contributions to Room in the Inn, Alive Hospice, the Temple Ohabai Shalom, the National Council of Jewish Women, Nashville section, or to any organization that helps the needy..
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