Obituary for Elizabeth Lois Wolfe (Mason)
Elizabeth (Betty) Wolfe quietly slipped from this earth Saturday night, October 19, to be
welcomed into the arms of her Savior, and to be reunited with her beloved husband of 52
years, John.
Betty was born June 5, 1925 in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. In 1951 Betty left the comforts of home to
become a missionary nurse in Zimbabwe (Rhodesia, as it was in those days) with TEAM (The
Evangelical Alliance Mission). She served faithfully as a nurse, usually in extremely remote
locations, and often as the only medical resource for many miles. Her expertise in tropical
medicine helped her deal with diverse diseases and traumas, but also helped her in her varied
roles as dentist, pharmacist, and ObGyn, saving many lives. Before each clinic Betty always
shared the love of Christ to the crowd waiting to be seen, undoubtedly leading many to the
Lord. Having met John Wolfe on a dirt road in the ‘bush’, where meeting other people was so
unusual you stopped to chat, and following his Bible School training, they were married in 1954
in Salisbury, Rhodesia. Betty continued her nursing while raising 4 daughters.
After leaving the mission field, Betty and John moved to South Africa where they ran a tea
room, amongst other ventures, for several years. They were married 52 years before John
passed away unexpectedly in 2007 in South Africa. Betty returned to the United States and
lived with their oldest daughter, Mary, and her family in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Betty was an amazing role model to her daughters, teaching them from a very young age to
love the Lord with all their heart, and modeling a servant’s heart completely surrendered to
God. Throughout many struggles her faith was unwavering and her eyes always remained fixed
on Jesus. There is an emptiness in our homes and hearts with her gone, but also a joy that her
wish to be with the Lord has finally come. Today she is rejoicing in heaven, and there is no
doubt that she was welcomed with the words, “well done, good and faithful servant”. We look
forward, with complete assurance, that we will be reunited with her and that this is only a
temporary “goodbye”. Betty is survived by her four daughters, Mary (Alan) Piggott, Ruth
(David) Wylie, Angela (Philip) Theobald, and Margaret (Steve) Miller; grandchildren, Sean, Tim,
Carie, Melissa, Rebecca, Sarah, Deborah, Jonathan, Caroline, Michelle, Megan, Luke and Aaron;
and great grandchildren, Joshua, Ivy, Levi, Lorelei, John Thomas, Zachary, Michael, Lindsey, and
Claire, as well as her sister-in-law, Jane Salemson.
Please join us as we celebrate Betty’s life, Friday, November 1 at Hartson Funeral Home, 11111
W. Janesville Road, Hales Corners, Wisconsin. Visitation with the family will be at 5pm, followed
by a memorial service at 6pm. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to
Allain and Nicole Ravelo-Hoerson, missionaries in Cape Town, South Africa, who were
supported by Betty and John for 39 years. Please write “Leadership Training” on the memo
line.
welcomed into the arms of her Savior, and to be reunited with her beloved husband of 52
years, John.
Betty was born June 5, 1925 in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. In 1951 Betty left the comforts of home to
become a missionary nurse in Zimbabwe (Rhodesia, as it was in those days) with TEAM (The
Evangelical Alliance Mission). She served faithfully as a nurse, usually in extremely remote
locations, and often as the only medical resource for many miles. Her expertise in tropical
medicine helped her deal with diverse diseases and traumas, but also helped her in her varied
roles as dentist, pharmacist, and ObGyn, saving many lives. Before each clinic Betty always
shared the love of Christ to the crowd waiting to be seen, undoubtedly leading many to the
Lord. Having met John Wolfe on a dirt road in the ‘bush’, where meeting other people was so
unusual you stopped to chat, and following his Bible School training, they were married in 1954
in Salisbury, Rhodesia. Betty continued her nursing while raising 4 daughters.
After leaving the mission field, Betty and John moved to South Africa where they ran a tea
room, amongst other ventures, for several years. They were married 52 years before John
passed away unexpectedly in 2007 in South Africa. Betty returned to the United States and
lived with their oldest daughter, Mary, and her family in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Betty was an amazing role model to her daughters, teaching them from a very young age to
love the Lord with all their heart, and modeling a servant’s heart completely surrendered to
God. Throughout many struggles her faith was unwavering and her eyes always remained fixed
on Jesus. There is an emptiness in our homes and hearts with her gone, but also a joy that her
wish to be with the Lord has finally come. Today she is rejoicing in heaven, and there is no
doubt that she was welcomed with the words, “well done, good and faithful servant”. We look
forward, with complete assurance, that we will be reunited with her and that this is only a
temporary “goodbye”. Betty is survived by her four daughters, Mary (Alan) Piggott, Ruth
(David) Wylie, Angela (Philip) Theobald, and Margaret (Steve) Miller; grandchildren, Sean, Tim,
Carie, Melissa, Rebecca, Sarah, Deborah, Jonathan, Caroline, Michelle, Megan, Luke and Aaron;
and great grandchildren, Joshua, Ivy, Levi, Lorelei, John Thomas, Zachary, Michael, Lindsey, and
Claire, as well as her sister-in-law, Jane Salemson.
Please join us as we celebrate Betty’s life, Friday, November 1 at Hartson Funeral Home, 11111
W. Janesville Road, Hales Corners, Wisconsin. Visitation with the family will be at 5pm, followed
by a memorial service at 6pm. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to
Allain and Nicole Ravelo-Hoerson, missionaries in Cape Town, South Africa, who were
supported by Betty and John for 39 years. Please write “Leadership Training” on the memo
line.