Ernest Gilbert Wolff

Dr. Ernest Gilbert Wolff died peacefully in his home in Corvallis, Oregon on Monday September 24th at 4:14pm, at the age of 84. He was surrounded by his loving wife, children, and grandchildren. Ernest was born on August 7th, 1934 in Lichtefelde, Germany to Walter Minden and Margarete Alvina Wolff. He had one sister, Evelyn Smith. His family moved to Bronxville, New York in 1940. Ernest attended Iona Preparatory School, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (class of 1954), and Imperial College in London (Royal School of Mines). It was in London that he met the love of his life, Penelope Anne Hayes. They married in 1961 after Ernest spent a year in Borlänge, Sweden working as a Metallurgist. Ernest and Penelope were blessed with seven children: Christopher Charles (1962) Nicholas Michael (1963) Alice Lindsay (1964) Antonia Juliet (1965) Stephanie Jane (1968) Victoria Anne (1974) and Jessica Maria (1981). They have fourteen grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Ernest was a brilliant materials scientist. He worked in Nigeria, West Africa for UNESCO, Aerospace Corporation in Los Angeles California, and in 1988 he moved his family to Oregon where he was a professor at Oregon State University until 1991 when he started his own materials testing company, Precision Measurements and Instruments Corporation. Ernest loved adventure, travel, art, culture, coin and stamp collecting, tennis, skiing, soccer, badminton, opening mail and donating to charitable causes including support for American Indian tribes and nature conservancies. He was an accomplished pianist, played guitar, was deeply fond of Mexican Mariachi music, and even played the triangle in a symphonic performance directed by Aaron Copland. He loved snow. His eye for beauty was grand in scope and his thirst for knowledge was paralleled only by his categorically reliable memory. He had a near photographic memory for maps and names of places in the world he had been. He and Penelope traveled every year, and this last year he enjoyed trips to New York City, Germany, France, Wales, Italy and England. He performed his last piano concerto by Walter Leigh this past June, and he won his last tennis match along-side his partner Henry Lee a week before the stroke. He never wasted time unless intentionally and was a firm believer in occasionally doing “nothing”. The Memorial Service is to be held Sunday, September 30th at 2:00 pm, at Corvallis Country Club. Refreshments will be served immediately following.

Tributes

Ernest Gilbert Wolff

August 7, 1934 - September 24, 2018