Morris WOLFE

1938 - 2021

MORRIS WOLFE 1938-2021 Morris Wolfe chose a medically assisted death at home on November 27, 2021 surrounded and supported by loving family. A child of working-class Jewish-Polish immigrant parents, his love of books and ideas drew him to a freelance writing career. In crabbed longhand, on yellow legal pages taped together on the wall, he turned out columns on topics from encyclopedias to Sesame Street to academic fraud. Book-length projects included Menya: An End of Life Story, a moving account of his younger daughter's death from breast cancer; and Renia: A Holocaust Memoir. Wolfe's openness about his struggle with depression helped many in his orbit. He was a mentor to 30 years of students at OCAD and a generous supporter of leftist causes and starving artists. His sympathies lay with the misfit and the underdog. He would sleep through Star Wars movies but keep meticulous line score at Blue Jays games. He charmed children with promises to redeem a beard hair for a dollar on their next visit. He encouraged everyone to tell their stories, and was an early champion of many aspiring writers. Always an introvert, he stepped back further into domestic life after strokes in 2013 limited his mobility and curtailed his ability to speak and write with the clarity he expected of himself. MAiD was a welcome option as memory faded and intellectual pursuits became elusive. He is remembered with love by children Jennifer (Brad Richmond) and Ben; by grandchildren Noah, Emma, Graeme, Felix and Lorraine; and by longtime partner Joy Cohnstaedt and her daughter Nicci (Greg Heptinstall) and granddaughter Jemima. A celebration of life will be held in the spring. Messages of condolence may be placed at http://RidleyFuneralHome.com. Donations are encouraged to local food banks and Doctors Without Borders.