Obit: Wolff, Lois Hauger (1911 – 2008)
Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
Email: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Wolff, Patzwald, Hauger, Werner, LaBray, Jones, Kerth, Reichart

----Source: Banner Journal (Black River Falls, Jackson Co., WI.) December 17, 2008

Wolff, Lois Hauger (14 December 1911 –? 2008)

Lois Hauger Wolff passed away recently in Portland, OR.

She was born in Black River Falls, the daughter of former Mayor Anton (Tony) Hauger and Louise Patzwald Hauger. She came into this world Dec. 14, 1911, at a friend’s home up on the hill because newlyweds Tony and Louise had been living in an apartment on Main Street when the flood of 1911 inundated the town.

Lois was a talented pianist who played for many special occasions and for the Silent Screen movies downtown. She attended Laurence Conservatory of Music and accompanied other musicians at state competitions. She also taught piano privately.

As the mayor’s daughter, she had the opportunity to meet Richard E. Wolff, an engineer, of Milwaukee, who had come to Black river Falls to consult on the dam project. He was also superintendent of work at the Irving CCC Camp. They were married Oct. 5, 1935, at the Black River Falls Methodist Church. In 1942 they moved to Washington State, where Richard worked for the Army Corps of Engineers during the war and later formed his own consulting company.

Lois was an active member of many civic affairs in Seattle, including the Seattle Symphony League, Ryther Child Center and various other philanthropies. She assisted Richard in professional social affairs, including when he was president of the American Waterworks Association and Convention.

Richard died in 1976.

While on a visit to Black River Falls to help her own mother (a resident at Pine View until her death at 98 years of age), Lois became reacquainted with Mason Werner. They had been sweethearts in high school here but lost track of each other until a chance meeting after the death of their spouses. Mason and Lois spent over a decade together sharing time in Seattle and Deer Field Beach, FL. He played an important role as “Grampa” to Lois’s youngest grandchildren and his grandchildren were loved by her as her own.

Lois was a vibrant, interested and interesting woman to the very end. She was an avid bridge player, impassioned about Huskey (U of W) football, kept up on politics and always added something special to any gathering. She was an active member of the Women’s University Club (WUC), where she attended lectures, learned French and studied classical literature.

A memorial in her honor was held at the WUC and attended by friends of all ages and family who had come from across the country. Her passing would not be complete without her obituary being in the Banner Journal as she had continued her subscription for many, many years after her move west and always made the effort to keep up with treasured friendships here. Flowers from the Reichart Family were at the podium for her memorial.

Lois is survived by her son, Fritz (born in Black River Falls) and now living in Olympia, WA; her daughter, Toni Wolff LaBray of Portland, OR; five grandchildren, Jesse Wolff of Denver, CO, Anna Wolff Jones of Houston, TX, Drew Wolff of London, England, Breahna LaBray Kerth of Aloha, OR, and Shayleah LaBray of Portland, OR. She also had four great-grandchildren whom she loved dearly.

Lois died peacefully (after a brief hospitalization for a fractured hip) with her family at her bedside. Her vitality, style and kindness will be truly missed by those of us who knew her. She set a gold standard for living and ageing well.