Bertram Wolfe Obituary

Bertram Wolfe Born on June 26, 1927 in Bronx, New York, passed away at his Los Gatos home on Monday, September 6, 2004. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Leila Ann Wolfe; his daughter Sarah Rothenberg and son-in-law William Rothenberg; sons Donald Wolfe and William Wolfe and daughter-in-law Victoria Contreras-Wolfe; brother Harvey Wolfe and sister-in-law Rosalee Wolfe; grandchildren Tyler, Bennett, Madeline and Clark Rothenberg, and nephews Bruce, Merrick and Hillary Wolfe.

Dr. Bertram Wolfe retired from General Electric in 1992 as a Vice President and General Manager of GE's Nuclear Energy Business after a career of over 35 years with GE. Dr. Wolfe worked in almost all technical phases of peaceful nuclear power and had responsibility for a number of successful projects. In 1987 he was appointed a Corporate Vice President of GE and Manager of its Nuclear Energy Division, which under his leadership became a highly successful enterprise. He was an independent consultant in the fields of business, energy, and nuclear energy. He served on the Boards of Directors of Houston Industries and Houston Lighting and Power Co., and on the Boards of Urenco Inc. and Urenco Investments Inc. He served on academic advisory committees at the University of California at Berkeley and Texas A & M. Dr. Wolfe was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1980. He was President of the American Nuclear Society in 1986-7; was the recipient of many industry-related honors and held several patents. He was a fellow of the American Nuclear Society. Dr. Wolfe received a BA in physics from Princeton University and held a Ph.D in nuclear physics from Cornell University.

Dr. Wolfe was an avid tennis player and a member of the Campbell Rotary Club. He was a loving and devoted husband, father and grandfather who enjoyed spending time with his family, having lunch with his friends, and playing golf at La Rinconada Country Club.

Private Burial arrangements on Thursday by DARLING-FISCHER CHAPEL OF THE HILLS, Los Gatos, CA. Family and friends are invited to attend a celebration of Bertram's Life and Memorial Service on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. at Congregation Shir Hadash, 20 Cherry Blossom Lane, Los Gatos. Please come and share your memories of Bert with us.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to help support research for Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS) in Bert's name to The ALS Association Bay Area Chapter, 140 Geary Street, 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94108.

Published by San Jose Mercury News on Sep. 8, 2004.
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A fine and gentle man. He steadfastly advocated the peaceful use of nuclear energy to resolve the Earth's current and emerging power crises knowing that emerging nations'demands on fossil fuels for electrification systems would and is destructive to both established and developing economies. We are witnessing what he foresaw. He was more than a nuclear scientist, husband, father, Rotarian and friend. He was a kind and gentle man always thinking of how his knowledge could be imparted to assist in the benefit of all people. May God Bless him.

Hal Hofherr

September 9, 2004

I am so sorry to hear of Bert's death. I knew him as far back as 1965 when I was at Argonne National Lab. I came to GE in 1975 and worked in Bert's organization. I neve knew a finer person. He was indeed a pioneer in the nuclear power business and his contribution to it will benefit mankind.

Don Lutz

Donald Lurz

September 9, 2004

Offering our deepest condolences during this difficult time.

Darling Fischer Chapel of the Hills

September 7, 2004

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Darling & Fischer Chapel of the Hills

615 North Santa Cruz Avenue, Los Gatos, CA 95030

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