Esther Marie Wolfe

Esther Marie Wolfe of Waseca, MN, passed away January 20th, 2026, at the Lakeshore Rehabilitation Center in Waseca.

Esther was born on January 28, 1933, on a farm near Deep River, Iowa, to Raymond and Beulah (Elliot) Wolfe. In 1939 the family moved to Waseca, where she attended Waseca Central High School and graduated in 1950. Esther went on to college, graduated with a teaching certificate, and spent about 17 years teaching. She married Cal Pooler in 1953. They lived in Preston, Minnesota, then Newton, Iowa, and then to Charles City, Iowa; with Esther teaching school in each town. They had two children, Sandy and Randy and in 1972 adopted siblings Mike and MariLi, from South Korea. After Cal passed away in May 1983, Esther moved to Wichita Falls, Texas and worked as a nanny for 6 years. Continuing her work as a nanny she then moved to Portsmouth, Virginia, where she also met and married Bill Outten in July 1992. Together they rescued and cared for many tropical birds with special needs.

Self expression and creativity were very important to Esther. Whether it was dying her beautiful white hair in nearly every color of the rainbow, wearing sequins and sparkles, bright colors, bold jewelry, or outfits that would light up, she wasn’t afraid to stand out, in fact, she loved it! She was a gifted artist with painting, sewing, writing and much more. Esther was also very proud to be a member of MENSA. Additionally, she was an accomplished songwriter. She wrote the song, "Jesus Put A Yodel In My Soul," for the famed country singer Wanda Jackson, who became a close friend.

Esther was a huge fan of country-western music. Johnny Cash even handed her his harmonica during his show. For a couple years she was a DJ on a local country-western radio station. While living at Lakeshore she was famous for playing a country-western channel on her television 24 hours a day.

Esther is survived by her daughter, Sandy Williams; son-in-law Keith Williams; son, Randy Pooler; daughter-in-law, Theresa Pooler; son, Michael Pooler; brother, Larry Wolfe; sister-in-law, Iva Lee Wolfe; granddaughter, Mary Williams and her partner Ang; granddaughter, Alice Williams; granddaughter, Rhiannon Pooler; grandson, Quentin Pooler; and granddaughter, Mazaron Pooler.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her brother, Norm Wolfe; her daughter, MariLi; her husband, Cal; and her sister-in-law, Gerri; and her grandchild, Jabel.

Esther Marie Wolfe will be greatly missed by everyone that has ever known her. May the echoes of her beautiful spirit continue to shine in all of our lives.

Services will be held at Deep River, Iowa on a later date.