Marilyn M. Wolf

Marilyn M. Wolf, age 96, passed away peacefully on Sunday, December 21, 2025, at Mountain Memories Assisted Living Center in Elkins, West Virginia. Marilyn and her twin brother, the late Thomas E. Adams, were born in Springfield, MA, to Grace A. and Thomas J. Adams. She was married on July 2, 1949, to Leonard G. Wolf. They were the parents of three children, Steven M. Wolf (Nancy) of Accokeek, MD, Ann M. Wolf (Charles Byerly) of Walland, TN, and Jennifer E. Wolf (Susan Clay) of Winterville, GA. Three grandchildren, Sean Harris of Denver, CO, Sarah Branch of Nashville, TN, Chad Byerly of Mars, PA, and eight great grandchildren. Marilyn grew up in Longmeadow, MA, attended Lincoln High School in Manitowoc, WI, MacMurray College for Women in Jacksonville, IL, and the University of Wisconsin at Madison. After her marriage to Leonard, the couple moved to Elkader, IA, where her husband was elected in 1959 to represent the 2nd District of Iowa in the U.S. Congress. Marilyn campaigned extensively in their home district, managed his congressional o ce in Washington, DC, and testi ed on numerous occasions before congressional committees in her husband's absence. Along with their three young children, the family later spent four years in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where her husband implemented the U.S. Agency for International Development's Food for Peace Program throughout South America. Marilyn traveled extensively throughout North and South America, and Western Europe. She embraced a lifelong love of flowers, art, and music, and was an accomplished watercolorist and pianist. She brought artistry to every endeavor. After her husband's death, and with the children out of the nest, Marilyn chose West Virginia as her new home, and in 1978 began life anew on a 350-acre farm in Beverly, WV, where she gardened, raised Black Angus cattle, and established The Aquarian Dimension, a spiritual retreat that attracted visitors from around the world. In the late 1980s she sold the farm and retired to Elkins, where she continued to enjoy a rich cultural and social life for many years. During Marilyn's 47 years in West Virginia, she was deeply moved by the beauty of the Appalachian landscape and people, and she developed a network of close friends who, along with her family, will keep her ever present, remembering how she lived life on her own terms, generously, with levity and laughter.
Her request for cremation has been honored. Marilyn's remains will be interred next to those of her husband at St. Barnabas Cemetery, Mazomanie, WI. Celebrations of life will be held in Elkins, WV, and Mazomanie, WI, on dates to be determined. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to The Augusta Heritage Center, 21 Third Street, Elkins, WV 26241 (https://augustaartsandculture.org/donate/) or Women's Aid in Crisis, P. O. Box 2062, Elkins, WV 26241 (Centers Against Violence) (https://www.centersagainstviolence.org/#), in memory of Marilyn. The Tomblyn Funeral Home of Elkins is in charge of the arrangements for Marilyn M. Wolf. Condolences may be expressed to the family at www.tomblynfuneralhome.com.