Karla R. Wolf

Karla Robinson Wolf was born on June 21, 1929 in Erfurt, Germany. She passed away on March 8, 2026 in Salinas, California at the age of 96.

Karla and her sister Lore Flanter were the only members of their family to survive the Holocaust. Saved through perilous circumstances, they were adopted by a Los Angeles couple, Sydelle and Jay Albert Robinson, in October of 1941.

Karla attended UC Berkeley, where she met Marvin Wolf, a student returning after his wartime military service. They were introduced by a mutual friend on the steps of the Campanile; their first date was for a five-cent cup of coffee at UC Berkeley's International House, where Marvin lived. They married after Marvin's graduation in April 1949.

As a young couple, Marvin and Karla moved thirteen times up and down California while Marvin worked as a civil engineer for Caltrans and Contra Costa County. Along the way they welcomed four daughters, all born in different towns. Eventually they settled in Salinas in 1960, where Marvin became Assistant Public Works Director for Monterey County. They were happily married for 67 years until Marvin's death in 2016.

Karla and Marvin were early and active members of Temple Beth El in Salinas. Their volunteer work in the community was extensive; together they volunteered for Camp Fire Girls, Friends of the Salinas Public Library, Temple Beth El, Meals on Wheels of the Salinas Valley, and The Steinbeck Center. They received the United Way Community Service Partner Volunteer Award in 2010. Karla also volunteered for the Steinbeck House, Planned Parenthood and the County Health Department. Among her many joys were serving as a room mother for her daughters' public school, crocheting lap throws for new Meals on Wheels clients, and reading to children at story time at the library. Marvin and Karla also hosted many Japanese students who attended Hartnell College in an agricultural exchange program. Along the way, Karla found time to earn her AA at Hartnell College.

Karla and Marvin were lucky to travel extensively to Japan, Europe, Israel, Alaska and the Panama Canal. They toured Civil War sites (an interest of Marvin's) and traced the journey of Lewis and Clark. Their interest in live theater led them to take eight trips to London on theater tours and also to see many shows in San Francisco and at Hartnell's Western Stage.

Karla spent her last years at Ivy Park in Salinas. The family wishes to thank the staff of Ivy Park Assisted Living and Evergreen Memory Care communities, with a special thank-you to Lupe Ojeda of Bridge Hospice. We are grateful for the support of Cantor Margaret Bruner of Temple Beth El.

Karla is survived by her daughters Leslie, Tish, Shauna (Frank Narciso), and Hilary (Michael Carabetta), grandson Antony Narciso, and sister-in-law Carol Wolf. She was preceded in death by her husband Marvin and her sister Lore Robinson.

Karla will be remembered for her outgoing and friendly nature and her ability to make everyone feel welcome. She was a stellar cook and baker, and she loved cats.

Karla did not talk about her Holocaust experience, but asked her family to share the details of her story after her death. As their mother Selma watched the war approach, she bravely sent the two girls to an orphanage in Brussels in 1939. Lore and Karla became part of a group of one hundred children ("Les Enfants de La Hille") who were transported to southern France, where they lived first in a barn and then in a deserted Chateau under harsh conditions. Aided by the Swiss Red Cross, the girls travelled to Marseille by train. Along the way to Marseille, the train passed by the Gurs concentration camp and the girls saw their mother for the last time. Travelling by ship to the United States, they arrived in New York City on Karla's 12th birthday on June 21,1941. From NYC they crossed the country by train to an orphanage in Los Angeles, where they were adopted by the Robinsons. The girls' parents and all their relatives perished in the camps.

Funeral services will be held at Struve and Laporte Funeral Home in Salinas on Tuesday, March 17 at 1:30 pm, followed by a private burial service at Garden of Memories in Salinas.

In lieu of flowers please consider donations to Meals on Wheels of Salinas Valley, Friends of the Salinas Public Library, or Temple Beth El.