Monique Ponder Wolfe

MONIQUE PONDER WOLFE, 67, resident of Houston, Texas, born in Strasbourg, France, passed away on Sunday evening, the 24th of August 2008, after a long, courageous battle with cancer. A vivacious lady of great charm and intellect, Monique loved people and had incredible empathy for the human condition. Her joie de vivre brought great affection from most everyone she met. While direct, her words were often expressed with uncanny wisdom, humor and honesty. She never met a stranger and valued helping others find hope and success in life. Monique mentored medical students at Baylor College of Medicine and took great pride in their achievements. She was involved in the medical legal community and often facilitated important introductions between attorneys and medical experts in the field of pulmonary medicine. She was an incredible chef and derived great pleasure from entertaining those she loved most with gourmet feasts at her table. She was a consummate gardener, cultivating seeds and plant-treasures collected during her many travels. She was passionate about animals and raised a menagerie of cats and dogs, loving each as her child. Monique is survived by her dear and loving husband, Captain Clinton Wolfe; daughter, Stephanie Videll of Wimberley, Texas; daughter, Natalie Ponder of Lafayette, New York, and her husband, Joseph Governali, Jr.; cousins, Arthur of Germany and Christine of France. The memorial service will be conducted at three o'clock in the afternoon on Thursday, the 28th of August, in the Jasek Chapel of Geo. H. Lewis & Sons, 1010 Bering Drive in Houston. Friends are cordially invited to gather with the family and share remembrances prior to the service during the two o'clock hour. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Monique's name may be made to the Houston Humane Society, P.O. Box 450528, Houston, Texas 77245.