Bill Wolfe

Bill Wolfe (George William Wolfe III) passed away on Friday, December 20, 2024, at 77 years old. He is now with Jesus and running around free from Parkinson's disease. A patient, kind and resilient soul, he reinvented himself over and over to rise above his illness. When he could no longer dissect insects, he learned photography; when he couldn't hit the shutter button on the camera, he bought a handheld device that he could use. He would sit for hours to find the perfect shot, when the birds and the light were just right. When he couldn't take photos, he began writing poetry. He was like that. He was always learning, discovering, and entranced with the beauty of nature. He applied the same incredible love to his family and students - he never stopped loving them, accepted them as they were, and always found a way to lift them up, even when circumstances were against them. Above all, he loved his wife, Jeanne, of 56 years, who he called his angel.

Bill was an Air Force kid who ended up in Pottstown, PA. He graduated from Owen J Roberts High School and then from Albright College in Redding, PA, with a BS in Biology in 1969; this is where he met Jeanne. He served in the US Army and went onto Eastern Kentucky University, receiving a masters in fresh water ichthyology.

He earned a PhD from the University of Tennessee, where, halfway through, he changed his major from fresh water fish to water beetles. He attended every UT home football game and loved to wear the color orange. Bill did his post doc at the Smithsonian from 1979-1980, then went on to be a professor at Rutgers (10 years); Reinhardt College (12 years); and Georgia College and State University (14 years, retiring as Professor Emeritus in 2015).

His passion for water beetles led him to travel all over the United States, Africa, South America, Central America, Europe and Canada, collecting with his dip net, aspirator and hip waders. Give him a good watering hole, where animals came to drink, and he was set for days, eating canned spaghetti and beans so as not to leave his spot. He took family and students on his collecting trips. Charged by elephants, hiding from lions, Bill discovered at least 27 and counting species of water beetles through the years. He also published many articles, and was still working with colleagues on un-described water beetles.The only thing he loved more than the animals and beetles were his family, friends and students.

He leaves behind his wife Jeanne, his daughter, Jennifer and her husband Ron, his son Billy IV and his wife Kate, and daughter Ginger and her husband Primi. He also leaves behind eight grandchildren: Colin, Inigo, Liam V, Henry, Jack, Theo, Luna and Sydney. He is also survived by his sister Winnie and her husband Mark Morse and thousands of students who he considered relatives.

A service will be held Tuesday, December 31, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. at Oak Grove United Methodist in the Sanctuary. The family will receive friends at 10 a.m. in the Oak Grove UMC Grand Hall. Service will be live streamed at https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tzGLZ1v4JEg

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Oak Grove UMC Missions at https://ogumc.org/donate/memorials